Fayetteville officials announced late last week the search for a new police chief is down to two candidates, and neither candidate is local.
According to a press release, Henry County Police North Precinct Commander Scott Gray and former GBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Ford have been selected as the top candidates to become the city’s next chief, a position that has been filled on an interim basis by Major Jeff McMullan since Sept. 1.
Around 40 candidates expressed interest in the job, and 12 of those candidates were interviewed by a panel of city staff and elected officials, narrowing down the field to six candidates, who would then be interviewed by a panel of city residents and community leaders, the press release said. The second panel was tasked with further narrowing the field down to three candidates and presenting those recommendations to City Manager Ray Gibson Gibson said that Gray and Ford are two of the three candidates, the third having since withdrawn his name from consideration.
“We are being very thorough in choosing the next police chief for the City of Fayetteville, and I appreciate all of the cooperation we have received in the process of making this selection,” Gibson said. “I want to thank our interview panelists for the time and effort they have contributed, I want to thank Major McMullan for his excellent leadership since taking on the role of interim police chief, and I want to thank all of the high-caliber candidates who showed interest in becoming our next police chief.”
Gray lives in Covington and has nearly a 25-year career in law enforcement. For the last 14 years, he has worked for Henry County’s police department, and also teaches criminal justice at two colleges.
Ford lives in Sharpsburg and has more than 20 years of law enforcement. He currently is a fraud investigator with Nationwide Insurance.
