FORT PIERCE — The Sunrise City has officially picked its next police chief, after a monthslong nationwide search.
The City Commission Dec. 8 unanimously confirmed David Smith, City Manager Richard Chess’ selection.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Who is David Smith?
Smith, 47, has been in law enforcement since 2001, when he became an officer for the Webster City Police Department in Webster City, Iowa. He has been with the Prince William County Police Department, in Virginia, since 2003, starting as a patrol officer and working his way up to captain and commander of the department’s Eastern District Operation.
Prince William County has a population of about 497,000 people and is part of the Washington, D.C., metro area.
Prior to his time in law enforcement, Smith spent four years as a U.S. Army sergeant and was later a sergeant with the Iowa Army National Guard, coinciding with his time at the Webster City Police Department.
Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Phoenix and a master’s degree in executive leadership from Liberty University. He also is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
How was David Smith selected?
Fifty-seven people applied for the job to lead the Fort Pierce Police Department.
A Tallahassee search firm narrowed the field to seven. Those seven candidates — which included two internal applicants and one other local candidate — interviewed with Chess and a committee comprising city staffers.
Three were then chosen by Chess to move on to a public meet-and-greet and to interviews with city commissioners. None of the local applicants made it past that cut.
Despite criticism from the officers union, members of the public and half of the City Commission over the exclusion of the local candidates — particularly Fort Pierce Police Bureau Commander and Acting Deputy Chief Caleb Gillette — Smith impressed during the meet-and-greet and interviews.
On Dec. 5 Chess announced that Smith would be his pick, and by the Dec. 8 meeting Smith had the support of the union and of all four commissioners.
When will David Smith start?
The city has yet to announce when David Smith would begin as police chief.
First, he and the city must negotiate a contract. Salary for the position, according to its job posting, is $128,250-$212,000.
An exact start date may not be determined until the contract is finalized, officials said.
The goal, according to Chess and City Attorney Sara Hedges, is to present Smith’s contract to the City Commission Dec. 15 for approval.
What happened to the last police chief?
Chief Diane Hobley-Burney resigned in May, under pressure from multiple city commissioners following a scathing consultants report that recommended 84 changes at the department and noted very low morale among the officers.
During his interview with her, Mayor Linda Hudson said, Smith expressed intimate knowledge of that report, each of its recommendations and the specific responses the Police Department already has made to those recommendations.
Wicker Perlis is TCPalm’s Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Meet David Smith, who’s set to become the new Fort Pierce police chief
Reporting by Wicker Perlis, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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