OGDEN — Ogden City is set to cast a net far and wide to find a new chief of police.

With Eric Young’s retirement from the position this week, the city is already in the process of conducting a search for the next long-term chief.

“The Ogden chief of police position announcement is a national search and will be posted for two weeks,” Ogden City Marketing & Communications Manager Mike McBride told the Standard-Examiner in an email Wednesday. “Internal candidates are also allowed to apply, but this is not a limited announcement. Once the application period closes two weeks from now, the applicant pool will be reviewed internally by the CAO and a team of their choice and qualified candidates will be asked to interview.”

The chief of police job is currently posted on the city’s website and includes several criteria for candidates to meet, including:

• “Assume full management responsibility for all Police Department services and activities, including maintenance of law and order, protection of life and property, regulation of traffic, apprehension, arrest and detention of law violators, and maintenance of police records; recommend and administer policies and procedures;”
• “Oversee and participate in the development and administration of the Police Department budget; direct the forecast of funds needed for staffing, equipment, materials, and supplies; approve expenditures and implement budgetary adjustments as necessary;”
• “Explain, justify, and defend Police Department programs, policies, and activities; negotiate and resolve sensitive and controversial issues;”
• “Respond to and resolve difficult and sensitive citizen inquiries and complaints;”
• “Establish a collaborative partnership where the needs and concerns of our diverse communities are identified, addressed, and resolved.”

Additionally, the job posting seeks candidates with at least 12 years of broad and extensive law enforcement, including three years of administrative and supervisory experience. A salary of $135,686.93 to $196,746.05 is offered depending on qualifications.

“This evaluation process is extremely important to the future success of the organization and the overall health of the community and may take several weeks of due diligence to ensure the most qualified candidates are elevated to the final group,” McBride said. “Once a group of individuals best qualified to fill the position are identified by the initial evaluation team, the mayor will have the final authority to interview and ultimately appoint the person that he sees fit to lead the police department into this next era of excellence in public safety.”

Mayor Ben Nadolski, who will ultimately appoint the new chief, told the Standard-Examiner that he’s looking for several traits in a new chief.

“I want stability, management of the department and leadership of the department,” he said. “I want someone that has the credibility with the officers so that the officers know that the work we’ve been doing is seen and appreciated. I also want to make sure that we’ve got a mindset of constant improvement, so I’ll be asking for ideas to build on the strong foundation that we already have. I think anytime there’s a change in leadership, it’s an opportunity to bring new ideas, innovation and priorities to the table.”

He added that Young built a strong foundation for the next person to hold the position to build upon.

“I really respect the work that Chief Young did,” he said. “He brought a level of professionalism and a high standard of performance and a high level of accountability. Those are things I admire about our department, and, as a result, that I want to make sure we maintain and build on.”

In the meantime, Deputy Chief Jake Sube — who has 24 years of experience with the Ogden Police Department — is assuming the role of interim chief of police.