The next police chief?
Northfield newspaper posts story
By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Gary G. Smith, police chief of Northfield, Minn., could become Emporia's next police chief.
"I will confirm that the chief of Northfield is our other finalist," City Manager Matt Zimmerman said in a telephone interview this afternoon. "I am meeting with him to determine whether or not we can reach an agreement for him to be appointed as the next police chief."
The Northfield (Minn.) News reported this afternoon that Smith had been contacted about becoming chief here. Smith told News reporter Suzanne Rook, however, that no offer had been made to him as of today.
“Smith, who has been on a medical leave of absence since mid-July, said he spoke with Emporia city officials last Saturday, but that to date no offer has been tendered,” Rook reported.
Smith’s medical leave came to have a surgical procedure that the News earlier reported was not life-threatening.
Clark Morrow, a captain with the Olathe Police Department, accepted the job of chief earlier this month and was to start the job on Dec. 17. He rescinded his acceptance formally on Monday, and the search for a chief resumed.
Zimmerman said on Monday that he planned to visit with the second of the two finalists who had been considered for the job.
Smith has been in Northfield about eight years, the News reported, and in recent months “his relationship with City Administrator Al Roder has been strained.
“The two were often at odds, particularly after the chief called a July 3 news conference to disclose an estimated 150 to 250 young Northfielders were abusing heroin and the prescription drug OxyContin.”
The News said that after Smith went on leave, it was revealed that he had begun a criminal investigation of Roder, which later was taken over by the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Department. That investigation is not yet finished.
In a blog dated Nov. 17, Smith said that he had traveled through Emporia.
“He said today the visit was to familiarize himself with the city,” the News article stated.
“Smith said he expects he’ll be able to say late this week whether or not he’s a viable candidate for the Emporia job,” the News reported. “He continues to recover from October spinal surgery that was to relieve numbness in his hands. He said today it will likely be the first of the year before he can return to work.”
Zimmerman said this afternoon that he hopes to make an announcement regarding the new police chief later this week or early next week.
On the Net:
Northfield News: www.northfieldnews.com
Gary Smith's blog: www.garygsmith.net
Comments
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Posted by hickory (anonymous) on November 28, 2007 at 6:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hmmmmmm.........strange that he talked to city officials last saturday, but the city manager didn't know that Morrow rescinded his offer until Monday morning.......What's up with that?
Posted by tunit (anonymous) on November 28, 2007 at 7:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This guy sounds kinda shady to me. I thought the other one sounded better.
Posted by emporialifer (anonymous) on November 29, 2007 at 7:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm sure Zimmerman will do what is best for Emporia. The part that has me a little uneasy is the fact that he has been on medical leave for 4 1/2 months (since mid-July). That is a long time to not be working.
Posted by hawks422 (anonymous) on November 29, 2007 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It sounds like the person or persons responsible for hiring the next chief didn't dot their I's or cross their T's when searching for the next chief. How could any thorough search for qualified candidates bring in someone to run the city's police department with this much baggae? This individual shouldn't have even made the long list of qualified candidates let alone the final two.
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