Applications Trickle in for Port Police Chief Position

The pool of candidates for Port Washington Police Chief grew to more than 20 by Wednesday's deadline, with out-of-state applicants as well as interest from within the department.

Port Washington Police and Fire Commission Chair Rick Nelson said he expects the total number of applicants to get a bit higher; applications that were mailed by Wednesday will also be accepted, so the total number won't be known for a few days.

The search for a new candidate has been in full swing since Port Washington Police Chief Richard Thomas . Originally, .

The Police and Fire Commission had originally hoped that a strong candidate for the position would come from within, but would make it clear that the commission wanted the most qualified person for the job.

Nelson said five police chiefs — all from counties other than Ozaukee — are going to review the applications in an attempt to narrow the pool by examining whether a candidate meets minimum qualifications and then making recommendations as to who should go forward.

"We’ll leave it up to them (how many applicants move forward)," Nelson said. "It'd be easier if we got down to about a dozen."

Nelson hopes the committee of chiefs will have their recommendations selected by Sept. 8.