THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL

The City of Selma human resources director released the names of an advisory committee helping to screen candidates vying to become Selma&8217;s next police chief, but members are not saying much.

Mayor James Perkins Jr. has the authority to name a chief, but said he wanted public input to hopefully avoid scrutiny. While the names of the 40 initial applicants have been not been made public, the final three won&8217;t be able to avoid being known.

The three candidates and their spouses will be brought in for interviews. The three candidates will meet with city officials and the advisory committee to get acquainted.

The advisory committee is comprised of a cross-section of Selma business, religious and civic leaders. Appointed by Perkins in December 2007, its role is to advise the mayor of citizens&8217; concerns during the selection process.

A news release from the city&8217;s department of human resources stated Friday interviews for the three finalists will take place no later than January. There were six finalists identified by Slavin Management, the Atlanta firm hired to conduct a search. One was eliminated, and two others declined.

The committee will now decide on the top two candidates to recommend to the mayor, who will hire one of the two.

Advisory committee member George Needham, chairman of the Selma Housing Authority, said Saturday, members signed a confidentiality agreement, which prohibited them from discussing the candidates and their qualifications. He did, however, say he felt the committee was effective.

Dr. Major Madison said the committee agreed it was best to not have 27 people speaking on what was going on.

Major Charles Andrews of the Alabama Department of Public Safety is serving as the chief spokesperson and will conduct morning interviews. After each interview, each committee member will rate the candidate.