DAYTON — It is not clear if the city of Dayton will have a new police chief by May.
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That is when Chief Kamran Afzal is expected to start his new job in North Carolina.
City Manager Shelley Dickstein is responsible for naming a new chief.
She said a process is being put together for their search.
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Community leaders spoke about what’s important to best serve the people who live here.
“Transparency, because that’s ultimately important to the community at large,” Dr. Derrick Foward, president of the Dayton Branch NAACP, said.
He believes outgoing Chief Kamran Afzal has spoken openly about critical incidents involving police shooting community members or being accused of using force.
He thinks that’s very important for the next chief to focus on.
He said that his group urged the city to do a nationwide search during the last chief opening.
Dayton police have not promoted a chief from within the ranks for 24 years.
“I’m looking for somebody who will maintain that same level of transparency, the same level of honesty and the same level of partnership,” Foward said.
He said his organization isn’t saying that the assistant chief is the only person they believe they could effectively work with.
He did admit he also thinks a quarter-century is a long time to go without promoting from within.
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