Search for a new police chief is almost at an end

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department will not have to go much longer without a chief of police, with someone expected to be appointed to the post by mid-July.

That's the deadline members of the selection committee have set for themselves at least.

According to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush, two candidates from inside the UPPD have been already considered by several boards of interviewers.

"The final board, which includes myself, will meet on July 2," Rush said. "And after seeing all the recommendations, I will be making a decision by mid-July."

The first board to consider the two candidates was composed of both members from the Penn public safety community and from outside law enforcement agencies, including the Philadelphia Police Department.

Rush will make the final decision in conjunction with Penn's vice president for human resources, John Heuer.

Rush would not reveal the identities of the two candidates beyond saying that they were internal, but she did note that they were the only two candidates who applied for the vacant post. The position was only open to internal candidates.

"We had a good group of people here [in Penn's Division of Public Safety] -- several very viable candidates," Rush said, explaining why she only opened the post up to members of the University's public safety community.

Rush had indicated before she was named vice president that, were she to get the job and leave the post of chief open, she would keep the search for a new police chief internal.

"We have been building a succession plan for last five years at every level of our institution, so it's important to have people who have worked hard to build the organization," Rush said. "An internal candidate has experienced the major changes the organization has gone through."

Only a short while after Rush took office in late May, she sent out a list of requirements that potential candidates for the position needed to have.

Beyond being a member of the Division for Public Safety, applicants needed to have a bachelor's degree, have spent three years at a command level within the division, have excellent written and verbal communication skills and to have participated in the Municipal Police Officers Training Commission.

In addition to these requirements, applicants were required to have graduated from either the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Academy, the National Police Institute's public policy program or the Certified Protection Professional Certification program.

The UPPD has been without a permanent chief of police since last October, when Rush -- who was chief at that time -- left to fill the post vacated by former Vice President for Public Safety Thomas Seamon.

Seamon announced that he would leave Penn to become the CEO of the private security firm TrainLogic, Inc.

As Rush stepped up to fill the position on an interim basis, Deputy Chief of Operations Michael Fink took over as Interim Chief of Police.

Fink has held the interim position ever since. After Rush applied to be the new vice president, a new chief could not be appointed until the new vice president was named.

That selection process took over six months, with Rush finally getting the promotion towards the end of May. When she took over the job, she said that a new chief would be selected by the end of June or early July.

It seems that her estimation will be fairly accurate, with selection meetings wrapping up next week.

Fink made it clear from the beginning that he would apply for the position when the opportunity was presented.

However, at this time, it is unclear as to whether or not Fink is one of the two candidates being considered.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.