Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Winston-Salem Wants Public's Help In Police Chief Search

Winston-Salem's new police chief will lead a department with 570 sworn officers and 173 civilian positions, and an annual budget of $74.5 million. KERI BROWN/WFDD

The city of Winston-Salem is one step closer to selecting a new police chief. Two finalists have been named. The candidates will take questions from the public at a forum on Wednesday.

One of the frontrunners for the new police chief is no stranger to the department. Catrina Thompson has worked there for 23 years. She now serves as the assistant chief in charge of the Investigative Services Bureau.

The other finalist is Major Cameron Selvey. He has 25 years of law enforcement experience and has spent his entire career with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Selvey currently is the commander of the Criminal Investigative Bureau.

Assistant City Manager Derwick Paige says the forum will give the public a chance to get to know the candidates.

“It's a moderated session where citizens will have the opportunity and I think we've established up to 90 seconds to ask questions of the candidates about issues of concern to them,” says Paige. "Because at the end of the day the citizens have to have as much confidence in the police chief as the city manager's office does or the city council does."

The candidates will also be meeting with Winston-Salem Police Department personnel before the forum begins.

Winston-Salem City leaders say they received more than 20 applications from throughout the country for the top cop position.

The search began after Police Chief Barry Rountree said he is retiring on September 1.

The public meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 16 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber. Citizens who cannot attend can submit questions online at the city's website.

Paige says he expects the new leader to be announced by the end of the month.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate