Fox Chapel officials are wrapping up their search for a new police chief.
The borough partnered with Dailey Operation Consulting several months ago to help with the nationwide search to replace retired Chief Michael Stevens.
Stevens retired Nov. 2, and Sgt. Craig Sorg was named interim chief the following day.
At least 20 people applied for the position. The deadline for resumes was Dec. 1.
Consulting firm founder Jason Dailey said via email Jan. 27 there were nine finalists, and the second round of interviews were wrapping up.
“A conditional offer will be the next step followed by the candidate accepting and giving their current employer notice,” Dailey wrote. “While I can’t be certain at this point, there will more likely be action by council at their next meeting. I would not expect any additional details ahead of the formal announcement at the meeting.”
Borough Manager Julie Bastianini said Jan. 28 she did not have any other information beyond Dailey’s email, and that the meeting agenda was still being developed. The next council voting meeting is Feb. 16.
Mayor Jonathan Colton also confirmed Dailey’s information Jan. 28.
Colton, who was on council last year and a part of the search committee at the time, expressed confidence in the search process.
“We’re going to have a police department that makes decisions based on what’s in the best interest for our community from a law enforcement standpoint,” Colton said.
“The policies, the way our officers interact with the community, the way they respond to calls and our resource allocation, they all have to be consistent with that. … Everything is going well.”
There are 12 full-time officers in the department, including Sorg. There are no part-timers.
Sorg said four of his officers were in the first round of interviews weeks ago and were not involved in the second round.
The interim chief hopes council would promote from within but believes the next chief likely will come from outside the department.
“We’ll see who we end up with and go from there,” Sorg said.