City of Fort Morgan announces 2 finalists for police chief vacancy

Community reception, panel interviews scheduled for Nov. 6-7

The Fort Morgan Police Department should have a new chief by December, according to a release from the city of Fort Morgan announcing the selection of two finalists for the job.

Following an executive session during a special meeting Tuesday evening, the council announced that current FMPD Commander Loren Sharp, a member of the department since 1994, and Eric Powell, interim chief of the Morgantown Police Department in West Virginia, were the two finalists chosen to move on in the selection process.

The two will be interviewed next week by the Fort Morgan City Council and a panel of local professionals.

Sharp has held a variety of roles for the Fort Morgan department, including officer, detective, sergeant and commander. He recently graduated from the FBI National Academy leadership training program, an intensive, threemonth residency at FBI headquarters in Quantico, Va.

Powell has more than 22 years of law enforcement experience at the Morgantown PD, serving as a detective, sergeant, patrol sergeant, first sergeant, commander, deputy chief and interim police chief.

The council had narrowed a field of more than a dozen qualified candidates to five semifinalists during previous sessions. The announcement of the two finalists will set in motion a series of events aimed at helping the council make the final choice.

Both candidates will meet and have lunch with FMPD personnel and tour the FMPD facility on Fri

day, Nov. 6.

During that afternoon the finalists will go on ridealongs with FMPD officers and get a tour of the city with City Manager Steve Glammeyer.

On the evening of Nov. 6 the city will host a community reception with both candidates that will be open to the public. The candidates will be asked to introduce themselves to the community and residents will have the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback and comments on the candidates. The reception is planned for 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Gene Doty Senior Center.

On Saturday, Nov. 7, each candidate will alternate being interviewed by two panels, one made up of the city council and another consisting of local professionals including business owners, law enforcement and others.

The city council is expected to make its final selection and a conditional job offer to its preferred candidate the following week, and a new police chief could be in place by December if not sooner.

The former chief, Paul Schultz, had announced his intention to retire in March of this year, but was removed from his position by the city council in January, and Jared Crone was appointed as the interim chief.

In August, the council selected a search firm, KRW Associates, to help identify candidates for the position.