Norristown Council Appoints Committee to Conduct Police Chief Search

Norristown Municipal Council President Gary Simpson announced the creation of an ad hoc committee to spearhead the search for a new police chief at Tuesday night's council meeting. Current Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono said he is scheduled to retire on Feb. 28.

Simpson named Public Safety Committee Chair William Caldwell and fellow councilmen Dwayne Royster and Marlon Millner to the committee.

"[The search committee] will work with the finance and personnel committee to review and add to the job description of police chief, which has not yet been determined prior to this," Simpson said. "They will actually convene a public process that will provide unity meetings – either between two and three meetings – so that we can get the input of the actual community during this process."

The committee will also work closely with a national search firm the council plans to hire, though no firm has been selected yet.

Councilman Royster told The Times Herald that council has already spoken with two firms and Councilman Millner said that council will be able to select one without putting it out to bid because professional services are exempt from the normal municipal bidding process.

"The beginning stage will be about the role of the firm," Millner told the Herald. "People should be confident. We are aware of firms that deliver good work… Council saw this as way to move forward."

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