Hopkinsville City Administrative Officer Glenn Abee announced today that the Chief of Police Selection Panel appointed by Mayor Dan Kemp is focusing on four candidates to replace Chief Kermit E. Yeager.  Chief Yeager is retiring as of February 29, 2008.

The Panel tasked with the review and selection of qualified candidates started with 16 applicants, a pool that was narrowed to eight for a first-round of interviews, Abee said.  After those interviews, the Panel selected four candidates to move forward in the process.

“We feel that the process has worked extremely well,” Abee said of the Panel’s work.  “Based on the candidates’ history, work experience, education, and training, as well as the initial interviews, we have selected the applicants we believe are the most qualified and appropriate to replace Chief Yeager.”

The four candidates selected by the Panel will be interviewed in Hopkinsville over the next few weeks.  Not only will an interview with the Panel be scheduled, but the applicants will have an opportunity to meet with a representative group of Police Department employees and tour the City’s facilities.

The four candidates are [Brief bio attached]:

·         Roy Melnick of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

·         Paul Carroll of Homosassa Springs, Florida

·         Guy Howie of Ocala, Florida

·         Robert Nagel of Adams, Tennessee

The Selection Panel, which Abee chairs, is comprised of City Council members Patricia Bell, Charlie Henderson, Paul Henson, and Larry Radford; along with Austin Moss, Vice President of Human Resources for Jennie Stuart Medical Center; Seldon Sledd, retired agent of Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Cheryl Nichols, the City’s Human Resources Officer.  This Panel, along with Mayor Kemp, will conduct face-to-face interviews with the four selected candidates as soon as calendars can be coordinated.

“I cannot say enough about the caliber of our candidates who applied,” Mayor Kemp said.  “We received interest from very qualified candidates from across the country—and the final decision will be a difficult choice to make.”

Following the onsite interviews the Panel plans to make a hiring recommendation to the Mayor.  “If we happen to have neck-and-neck candidates at that point, the Mayor will make his final choice based on the information provided.”  And, Abee added, if for some reason one of the four finalists is not selected—or were to decline a job offer—“we would reexamine our selection process or re-interview at that time.”