St. Petersburg – Assistant Police Chief Melanie Bevan is just days away from learning if she’ll take the top post in the department. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has hinted that he will name one of four candidates as St. Petersburg Police Chief on July 7.
Bevan, who has been with the department for 25 years, is the only local finalist in the running for the post. She is also a member of the LGBT community.
Bevan spoke briefly about the position as police chief at the LGBT Welcome Center reception on June 26, but didn’t go into much detail.
“I’m waiting like everyone else,” she said. “We’ll know soon.”
Bevan is the former partner of Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor and the two women are raising two teenage boys together.
The other finalists are Jerry Geier, chief of the Goodyear Police Department in Arizona, Montgomery County (Md.) Police Captain Terrence Pierce and New Haven (Conn.) Police Chief Thaddeus Reddish.
On June 19, the four finalists met with city leaders as well as the public during an open forum at the Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg. There, the candidates were questioned by residents and encouraged to email the mayor with their thoughts on their choice for the next police chief.
A Facebook page dedicated to Bevan’s career has encouraged supporters to contact Kriseman as well to ensure Bevan’s appointment. Bevan, who was appointed as assistant police chief in 2012, said she is not behind that page and is not actively campaigning for the position.
All the candidates did, however, create YouTube videos to introduce themselves to the Mayor and to the citizens of St. Petersburg. Bevan used the local sites of St. Petersburg as a backdrop in her video, since she’s the only local candidate.
Whoever Kriseman chooses for the position will replace former chief Chuck Harmon, who retired in January. He held the position for 12 years.
When Harmon announced his retirement, more than 40 applications rolled into City Hall for his position. Human Resources and newly elected mayor Kriseman then whittled those applications down to the final four. Kriseman has the final say on who gets the job.
When Watermark asked him about the search prior to St. Pete Pride, he simply said that the candidates are strong and he’s excited about making an announcement soon.
