From staff reports
And then there were three.
The City of Beaufort announced last week that it had narrowed its search for police chief to three top candidates. The city is looking for someone to succeed Chief Matthew J. Clancy, who died in July.
The finalists, in alphabetical order, are:
Patrick Grossman, Hagerstown, Md.
Grossman recently retired, effective Oct. 30, as acting police chief of the Frederick (Md.) Police Department, a position he had held since February.
According to WDVM-TV, Grossman considered pursuing the permanent chief’s job there, but instead, opted to retire after 23 years of duty.
“This is both a professional and a personal decision,” Grossman told the station. “I still have numerous other professional goals and I have numerous other personal goals that I would like to accomplish.”
WDVM cited Grossman’s expansion of the department’s body-camera policy as one of his accomplishments in his short time in charge.
“In order to lessen tensions to the greatest extent possible, sometimes having that body-worn camera makes citizens feel safer, more assured, but think the key point is not being afraid of transparency,” Grossman told the station.
He has a B.A. in Public Administration and a Master of Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Ben Herron, Pooler, Ga.
Herron is currently a captain with the Savannah Police Department, where he has been for more than 32 years. Herron is the lone black finalist.
He has a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Savannah State University, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Columbus State University.
Dale McDorman, Beaufort.
McDorman is currently interim police chief of the Beaufort Police Department.
He has 30 years of experience in civilian law enforcement, and a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Columbia College.
McDorman became Beaufort’s deputy chief of police in 2010. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a security police investigator.
A fourth candidate, from Virginia, withdrew his candidacy.
Whoever earns the job will lead a department of 44 officers and four civilian staffers.
According to the City of Beaufort’s release, an initial review team, composed of City department heads and appointed by City Manager Bill Prokop, reviewed all applications. The top applicants were then interviewed via Zoom.
The best applicants from that group were then interviewed by approximately 15 people, including City Council members; Stephen Murray and Mike Sutton, both candidates for mayor this November; and diverse members of the community selected by the city manager to provide input. These community members represented various neighborhoods, Beaufort non-profits, law enforcement and the legal profession. Final interviews and background checks are the tasks of Prokop.
