Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
City manager picks David Smith; Fort Pierce commission unanimously approves new police chief
Loading...
Summary
City Manager selected David Smith from Prince William County as his police chief pick; after public comment and interviews the commission voted unanimously to approve the appointment and directed staff to finalize a contract to return for commission approval.
The City of Fort Pierce commission on Dec. 8 approved City Manager Mr. Chess's selection of David Smith to be the next police chief.
Mr. Chess told the commission he had screened a field of candidates, held interviews and selected Smith because of his background in community-focused policing and a stated plan for implementing recommendations from the department's earlier review. "He has a fresh approach to community policing," the city manager said.
Commissioners and community members described a robust recruitment process that included a public meet-and-greet. Commissioner Gaines read an email from Troy Carter, the police department's union representative, saying the union would "support this selection" and asked the commission to consider the union's message as part of its deliberations.
Several commissioners said Smith impressed them in interviews and during community interactions. Commissioners highlighted the candidate's emphasis on data-driven policing, succession planning and transparency. "I was very impressed he talked about an annual plan and being transparent about the numbers," one commissioner said.
A motion to approve the city manager's recommendation passed unanimously (Commissioner Broderick: yes; Commissioner Gaines: yes; Commissioner Johnson: yes; Mayor Hudson: yes). The commission directed staff to negotiate an employment agreement and return a final contract for the commission to approve.
The city manager said staff expect to complete contract negotiations soon and return the agreement to the commission in the next meeting cycle.
