FIRST REPORT: Fairfield police chief to retire in February
The city’s civil service process only requires the top five police chief applicants to be interviewed.
Wendling said he hopes to have the next chief named by the end of January.
“We’re looking for someone who brings a great deal of integrity to the position,” he said. “We would want them to maintain the high degree of professionalism and to lead the police department into the next generation.”
The next chief will succeed Fairfield Police Chief Mike Dickey, 70, who submitted his resignation in October. His last day will be on Feb. 26, which is also the day City Council intends to formally hire its new police chief.
The narrowed list of six applicants to take next month’s assessment test include:
- Fairfield Police Department Lt. Steve Maynard
- Hamilton Police Department Capt. Trent Chenoweth
- Former University of Cincinnati Police Chief Anthony Carter
- Colerain Police Chief Mark Denney
- Dublin Police Department Lt. Steven Farmer
- Cincinnati Police Department Capt. Michael Neville
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Others who applied, but are not being assessed further, include: Richmond Police Department Deputy Chief Steve Drew (a 1989 Fairfield graduate); Eaton Police Division Chad DePew; and retired Woodlawn Police Chief Jeffrey Witte.
Wendling said applicants were required to have at least a bachelor’s degree and service in at least one of three police service academies: The Southern Police Institute, the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety or the FBI National Academy. If an applicant was not a graduate of one of the three police service academies, they were required to have a master’s degree.
“It’s a great department and I think we’ll be able to find a great chief,” Wendling said.
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