What do officials expect from West Palm Beach's new police chief?

A nationwide search is currently underway for a replacement for now-former West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley.

Adderley was fired Tuesday morning and Mayor Kieth James cited financial inadequacies, among other reasons, for the firing.

In that address to the media, with Adderley in charge, James said standards were not being met. In the meantime, Col. Tony Arajo of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is serving as interim chief but is not being considered for a permanent position. So the question arises: What do officials expect from West Palm Beach's new top cop?

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To get to the bottom of the matter, WPTV's Michael Hoffman spoke with former Boca Raton Police Chief Andrew Scott.

He told Hoffman that a number of factors go into the selection. He said whether the department hires an outside headhunter or conducts the search itself, it will consider a range of factors, from law enforcement training to previous experience and training to reputation with the previous, similarly sized agencies. However, Scott said one of the most important aspects of the job is this new candidate's ability to build trust in the community.

“You will want to touch, see and feel the chief,” Scott said. “And the boss has to make himself available. Making yourself available means that the community is confident that that person means what they say and will do what they say and will listen to them.”

WPTV reached out to the mayor's office regarding requirements and a timeline for the hiring process but has not yet received a response.

We'll let you know as soon as we know more.

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