East Lansing to Offer New Police Chief Next Week
East Lansing is scheduled to extend an offer to a new police chief next week, according to a city webpage dedicated to the police chief search.
On the page, it says there were 15 applicants who responded to the job posting. A calendar of events states the city selected four or five finalists on April 10. Names of finalists and candidates have still not been released.
The next phases of the search take place tomorrow, Thursday, April 24 when the city will be sent a final report from Baker Tilly, the company the city contracted to conduct the police chief search. Also tomorrow, finalists will have virtual interviews with subject matter experts. ELi has reached out to the city’s media portal requesting more information about who conducts these interviews and what value they bring to the hiring process.
Similar to when the city hired a new city manager in the fall of 2023, there is a public engagement event scheduled before the city’s top cop is selected. Wednesday, April 30, there will be a “Community Meet and Greet.” City Communications Director Carrie Sampson said the event will be held at the Hannah Community Center that evening and more information about the event will be publicized soon.
The following day, Thursday, May 1, “On Site Interviews to Select the Top Candidate” is scheduled. The following day, Friday, May 2, the city is slated to extend an offer. The new chief is expected to take over by June 2, according to the schedule.
The city charter stipulates that City Manager Robert Belleman appoint the police chief after consulting with City Council.
The new police chief will be named more than one year after the city last had an active police chief who was not serving under interim status. In April 2024, former Chief Kim Johnson was placed on leave after an internal complaint was filed against him. The following month, Johnson resigned.
Chad Pride served as interim chief until the start of December, when he stepped down. Since Pride’s resignation, current Interim Chief Jen Brown has led the city’s police department.
ELi has reached out to the city’s media portal asking for clarity on a few points surrounding the search, and will report back when more is known.