Wichita City Council members have approved the hiring of a California consulting firm to guide the search for a new police chief.
Public Sector Search and Consulting, Inc. will help with the process of finding candidates to take over for Gordon Ramsay, who resigned effective March 1st after serving six years. City Manager Robert Layton said the firm has outlined a robust community engagement process that will begin with creating the priorities for the search. The plan is to have community forums, focus group meetings, and online surveys for Wichita Police Department staff and the community. The search process is expected to take about five months. Deputy Police Chief Lemuel Moore is serving as the interim chief.
Council members Brandon Johnson and Becky Tuttle said they served on a selection committee with Public Sector Search during the police chief search six years ago. Johnson said this will be a great opportunity for community engagement. Tuttle said the firm outlined a process that will keep the community engaged and informed in the search.
The contract with Public Sector Search has a cost of $48,000 with search-related expenses that are not to exceed $10,000.
