Police report two entry-level candidates and deputy-chief applicant; staff present safety plan for council meetings

The committee heard from the department identified in the transcript as the soon-to-be chief of police, named 'Cargos', who reported two entry-level police candidates are in the background phase—one expected to clear by the end of the week—and a deputy chief candidate is completing a Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ) through PSC testing before backgrounds begin.

"We have 2 entry level candidates who are in the background phases. 1 should be done this week, hopefully, by the end of this week," Cargos said. He described the deputy chief applicant as a sergeant in his mid-30s with investigator and supervisory experience who has worked with city personnel previously and "gels very well with our current personnel." Committee members said the deputy-chief interview went well.

Cargos also said he had drafted a safety plan for council meetings, shared it with the fire department for feedback, and will coordinate training and logistics before future council meetings. "I just finished it off, shared it with fire department, getting some feedback from them...we're ready with it. And this will be our plan moving forward for all meetings," he said. Committee members said they would review the draft internally before publication.

Committee members briefly discussed unverified social-media reports alleging protest organizers might bus people in; participants described the reports as unsubstantiated online chatter with no confirmed activity. No formal hiring decisions or votes were recorded during the meeting.