The public will get its first chance to help select Bloomington's new police chief at a Public Safety and Community Relations Board meeting Wednesday night.
The City of Bloomington is looking to attract a big crowd and collect communitywide feedback at the 6 p.m. meeting at City of Refuge, 401 E. Jefferson St. That's a regular quarterly meeting of Bloomington Public Safety & Community Relations Board (PSCRB).
“Hiring the city’s next police chief is a very important decision, and I see it as imperative as I approach this process to hear from the whole community about what is important to them, what they would like to see,” City Manager Tim Gleason said in a statement. “I recognized that the city’s PSCRB would be the perfect entity to lead the charge of community outreach and gathering feedback on this topic, and I am very pleased the board responded positively when I approached them about it.”
Current Police Chief Clay Wheeler will retire June 21. An interim chief will serve until a permanent one is found.
A national search will be conducted. There will also be a community meet-and-greet with finalists.
“I cannot overstate how important this process and this hire are to me as City Manager, because I know just how important they are to our community,” said Gleason.
Wheeler was appointed in May 2018 after Brendan Heffner retired to become U.S. Marshal for the Central District of Illinois. Wheeler said he had planned to serve as chief for several years. But in April he announced plans to retire after just a year on the job, citing his wife's cancer diagnosis and a desire to "go enjoy life."
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