Residents press council on police hiring, transparency and safety as application window closes

Residents used the public-comment portion of the March 17 Decatur City Council meeting to press elected officials for transparency in the police-chief selection process, to raise safety concerns and to seek clarity about whether the interim chief had access to an unredacted third-party review.

Several speakers asked about the application deadline and timeline. City staff said the vacancy application period closes at midnight on March 18, 2025; staff said candidate names and profiles will not be released until applications are screened and categorized and then provided to the mayor and council. Staff anticipated providing candidate information no later than March 24, 2025, and asked council members to hold April 7 and April 8, 2025, available for interviews depending on process timing.

Public-safety concerns and process questions

Commenters who identified themselves as supporters of a movement seeking accountability in police matters described ongoing harassment and threats they say they have received online and in public, and said they want the council and police leadership to have explicit plans to protect citizens who attend public meetings. One speaker…