Five candidate are finalists to become Fort Myers' next police chief, including two locals

Five finalists have emerged from a field of 170 applicants to become the 23rd police chief for the city of Fort Myers, with the public invited to meet them Thursday.

Two candidates from within the department are among the finalists, along with current or former chiefs from departments in Norfolk, Virginia, Fayetteville, North Carolina and Columbus, Ohio.

The new hire will replace Derrick Diggs who died in February after nearly seven years in the post. The new chief will oversee a $56 million budget and about 350 employees, the bulk of which are officers.

The two highest ranking officers in the department are not seeking the chief’s job, which starts about $160,000 per year and is open to negotiations.  Interim Chief Randall Pepitone, a police veteran of 42 years and 29-year veteran Jeffrey Meyers have indicated they would not apply, but would be available to assist in the transition to a new chief.

More: Dozens upon dozens vie for Fort Myers Police chief opening

More: Rest in peace: A look at Derrick Diggs's seven years as Fort Myers police chief

City Manager Marty Lawing will make the choice for chief of the department, but the new chief must be confirmed by the city council. Diggs was unanimously confirmed after his appointment by then City Manager Saeed Kazemi.

Five finalists for Fort Myers Police Chief

Two candidates from the city:Capt. Jason Fields, a 23-year veteran of FMPD who has been serving as an acting major in the department. In a statement published on the police website, Fields says that he believes "in the power of networking and community involvement ... by working together we can continue to provide first class services to our citizens." He has a master's degree in criminal justice from Hodges University.

Capt. Victor Medico, a 23-year veteran of FMPD and commanding officer of the department's investigative services bureau. He is a graduate of Barry University with a master's degree in administration and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute.

Three outsiders also finalists for top job:

Richard Bash, a 33-year officer and former deputy chief in Columbus Ohio, where Diggs was a candidate for the police chief position two years ago. Bash retired as deputy chief about six months after Diggs unsuccessfully applied for the top job. Bash has a master's degree in management from Mount Vernon Nazareth University in Columbus and has been an adjunct college professor at Franklin University. For several years, he has been a customer success director at ShotSpotter Inc. which offers "policing solutions" for police agencies to deter gun violence, according to a Linked-In report.

Larry Boone was a 30-year veteran police officer in Norfolk, Virginia, when he resigned as chief of the department last year. News reports say his departure was abrupt, but in explaining his decision in an interview with Norfolk television station WVEC-TV, Boone said that "nobody forces me to do anything I don't want to do." He was one of four finalists for the job as chief of St. Louis Metropolitan police department and was also finalist for the top cop in Urbana, Illinois, a city of about 40,000, published reports said.

Gina Hawkins, who most recently served as chief of the Fayetteville Police Department in North Carolina. Prior to holding that post, she was a field and support services commander for the Clayton County, Georgia police. She retired from the Fayetteville department at the end of January. Previous service, according to LinkedIn, includes four years as deputy chief in Clayton County, Georgia, seven years as captain in Sandy Springs Georgia as as a lieutenant in the Atlanta police department. She holds degrees in management and criminal justice from Johns Hopkins University and Georgia State University and claims proficiency in Spanish.

Public can meet police chief candidates Thursday

First decision in who will be the next Fort Myers police chief will be made by Lawing who said that there were a lot of qualified candidates, which helped narrow the field.

"We focused on highly skilled professionals whose experience will be instrumental in leading the department forward," Lawing said in a statement. "It's important that the new chief is committed to engage deeply and often with the community that we all serve."

Mayor Kevin Anderson said in a statement that the city has been thoughtful while recruiting and reviewing candidates to find a high "caliber of talent" among the applicants.

"We need a chief who is a crime fighter, focused on keeping this community safe," Anderson said, adding that he is confident the process will yield a candidate who can "lead the department through the evolving demands of one of the fastest growing municipalities in the nation."

Two public forums will be held next Thursday to give the public an opportunity to engage the candidates. The forums will be held at the Collaboratory at 2031 Jackson St., across from the police station and next to the fire station.

The city has released no further information on the format for the two sessions, which run from 4-5:30 p.m. and from 6-7:30 p.m. In addition to 22 chiefs of police, in an earlier age the department was led by 22 leaders of the department who were referred to as marshals.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Field of five for Fort Myers police chief, two are local candidates