Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins announced Monday that he’s appointing Provisional Police Chief Ben Raymond to become permanent chief of the Shreveport Police Department.
He is best suited for the job and consistently has scored the highest on the civil service exam for the position, the mayor acknowledged.
“But, more importantly, he took the helm when the department leadership was in flux and went on to implement strategies that have afforded us the opportunity to experience a decrease in crime under his leadership,” Perkins said.
The mayor said he will be working closely with Raymond "... to ensure that we are making the city of Shreveport safer for every segment of the community.
“Please know that I have heard your concerns and will do everything in my power to hold him accountable as you all will hold me accountable.”
Raymond is a 19-year veteran of the department.
Former Mayor Ollie Tyler appointed him to fill the chief spot temporarily when Alan Crump went on medical leave in November. Perkins kept Raymond in the provisional role after he was elected in December.
Before rising to the provisional chief position, Raymond was chief administrative assistant for about a year. In that role, he helped manage different aspects of the police force and the department’s budget. Raymond also spent several years in the narcotics unit and was an instructor at the training academy.
The selection process has been rife with debate since Crump officially retired at the end of July.
Perkins acknowledged that fact while announcing his selection Monday.
“... I would be tone deaf if I didn’t acknowledge that this decision has been a bit divisive within our community. But the cruel and bitter comments and voices have been drowned out by those of love and support and prayers that cover me."
After taking the civil service exam, seven candidates qualified for the job. An advisory council assembled by Perkins interviewed all seven and selected three finalists: Assistant Chief Wayne Smith, Sgt. Michael Carter and Lt. Tedris Smith.
On Monday, Perkins reiterated that the “committee’s selections were public before I had the opportunity to deliberate.”
Raymond’s absence from the list of finalists drew the ire of many, including City Council members and members of the advisory council.
Last week, in a move the Shreveport Police Officers Association called appalling, Councilman Jerry Bowman used his power as mayor pro-tem to add Raymond to the list of finalists.
Factors that Perkins said he considered while deciding on his appointee included the committee’s recommendations, the interviews with those three finalists and his consultations with City Council members, community leaders and other citizens.
The mayor said he was looking for a candidate who:
- "understood and could implement community-oriented policing,
- "would bring innovative ideas to the Police Department, and,
- "could face and overcome huge challenges with a constrained budget.'
Now that Perkins has named his appointee, it’s up to the City Council to decide whether it will confirm his selection.
Council members will meet Tuesday. Perkins has asked for the appointment to be added to the agenda.
Louisiana law says amending the agenda requires a unanimous vote of the the City Council.
However, Councilman Willie Bradford — who initially supported Raymond for the job — now says he has questions the appointee first must answer, an preferably not in a public setting.
If the City Council unanimously votes to add the confirmation to its agenda, two-thirds of the council members then would have to vote to suspend the rules.
Those rules say an appointment cannot be placed on the City Council agenda without council members first having the appointee’s name, salary and qualifications for two weeks.
Only after those two votes will the council be able to consider whether to confirm Raymond as police chief.
https://www.ksla.com/2019/09/23/mayor-selects-ben-raymond-permanent-spd-chief-job/