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Forum set as part of Whitewater chief search

WHITEWATER — The City of Whitewater Police Commission will invite up to six of 41 applicants for the city’s police chief job to answer questions at a public forum later this month.

The commission’s recruiting company is reviewing the applicants and plans to narrow the field down to about 12, commission President Jan Bilgen said Monday. Those 12 will interview with the commission in closed session Aug. 15, before half are chosen to come back for a public forum in late August.

The search for a police chief started this spring when 18-year Chief Jim Coan left to take a similar job in Minnesota. Lt. Lisa Otterbacher, who has been at the Whitewater Police Department for 21 years, was named interim chief.

The public forum, scheduled for Aug. 26, isn’t mandatory by state law. The city is allowed to hire personnel behind closed doors, but Bilgen said the commission felt community input was an important part of the process.

Citizens won’t be allowed to ask questions but will be asked to complete a feedback form after the meeting. Bilgen said those comments will be compiled into summaries and distributed to the commission when it meets the following day.

“I’m really hoping that people come out, because as a community I’d like to know their perception of the finalists for the position,” she said. “We tried to be very transparent and inclusive, and we hope to continue that.”

Candidates will be asked three to four questions during the forum and will be given five to eight minutes to make an opening presentation, Bilgen said. There will be a reception afterward to allow staff and the community to meet with finalists.

The commission plans to work quickly to name a new chief, but it’s difficult to tell how soon that would be. Bilgen said a decision could be made in the days after the forum, but negotiations on salary and other conditions could delay an official announcement.

The person selected also must undergo additional physical and psychological screening before a decision is made.

There was no information available on the background of the applicants, including qualifications and how many are from Wisconsin. Bilgen said those details have not yet been made available by the recruiting team.