The search for Pensacola’s next police chief is heating up as the city is working to narrow down the list of candidates, while at the same time the Pensacola police union publicly endorsed Deputy Chief Erik Goss for the job this week.
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said at his Nov. 18 press conference that senior city staff are meeting this week to decide what the process will be to choose a list of final candidates and what the public involvement in the process will be.
Reeves has said previously that there will be some public participation in the process, but hasn’t said exactly what that will look like.
Acting Chief Kristin Brown has been leading PPD since the resignation of Chief Eric Randall in July. Randall’s resignation was ultimately tied to a loss of confidence in his leadership among the rank-and-file PPD officers.
Brown entered the role with retirement in view, and Reeves is looking to have her successor in place before she leaves. Reeves said at his press conference that there isn’t a “time crunch” to rush a decision on who the next chief will be.
The city advertised the job for 30 days, and the job posting officially closed on Oct. 17.
This week, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #71 President James Parsons issued a public letter saying the police union fully and unanimously endorsed Deputy Chief Goss for the job.
“Recently, Lodge #71 conducted a membership survey to gauge officer sentiment regarding the selection of the next Chief of Police,” Parsons wrote. “The results were overwhelmingly in favor of appointing an internal candidate — someone who understands the department’s culture, history, and community relationships. This membership confidence reflects the officers’ trust in proven leadership from within, and no individual better represents that trust and experience than Deputy Chief Erik Goss.”
In 2021, Randell was hired after a lengthy process that involved a hired consultant and public town hall, and the city navigating the wake of 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and recommendations for reforms from the Pensacola Citizens Police Advisory Committee.
Reeves said that the union letter came as no surprise and that he has a lot of respect for Goss.
“Deputy Chief Goss has been here a long time, and it’s certainly no surprise to me that his colleagues feel strongly about him. That being said, obviously, as we outlined from the beginning, we have a process to go through this. He has applied; obviously, he’ll be in that process and more to come.”
Reeves said there’s no date that he’s targeting to make a hiring decision.
“Obviously, given the public-facing nature and the public interaction that takes place with the police chief, this is going to be obviously a little different than your standard director,” Reeves said.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Search for next PPD chief heats up as police union says it wants an internal hire
Reporting by Jim Little, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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