Valley narrows chief search to 2 candidates

The next police chief in Valley will be a familiar face.

City council members narrowed their search for a new chief during a work session Friday to Valley Capt. Mike Reynolds and former Valley police chief Tommy Weldon.

Reynolds was one of two internal candidates interested in the post, while Weldon was one of five candidates from outside the department to apply.

It took council members about 30 minutes to eliminate five applications for various reasons and name Reynolds and Weldon the top two choices.

Both men will be interviewed by the council Thursday, starting at 10 a.m. EDT in city hall. Members of the community including an education representative, a business owner, a police officer and the city’s human resources director, will also participate, as well as Mayor Arnold Leak.

Leak removed himself from the process when the search began earlier this month. He said then he would retain his voting power, however.

Depending on how well Reynolds and Weldon do in the interviews, the council will send one or both of them to a public safety and forensic psychological service firm in Smyrna, Ga., during the week of July 6 to undergo a psychological evaluation.

The council would then be in a position to name a new chief at its regular meeting July 13.

Lt. Frank Montroy has been serving as acting chief since the council decided on May 18 not to renew the contracts for city administrator Tim Bryan and police chief Michael Taylor. Bryan had been serving as acting chief since Taylor was placed on administrative leave April 10, pending an external investigation into a claim of mistreatment of a juvenile.

Reynolds started his law enforcement career with the city of Valley in 1988 after a stint in the U.S. Army and worked his way up through the ranks. Since being promoted to captain in 2006, he has served as acting chief numerous times in the chief’s absence. Reynolds also presently commands the department’s criminal investigations division.

Weldon left the Valley PD after 21 years in 2007 to take the position he currently holds as chief deputy of the Chambers County Sheriff’s Department. The position makes him second in command of the department. Weldon also worked his way up through the ranks in Valley, even serving as chief for a short time before his move to the sheriff’s department.

Council members said they considered both Reynolds and Weldon to be “strong” candidates. Based on their letters of interest and resumes, they each possess more than enough law enforcement experience, including command experience.

A bachelor’s degree is “highly preferred,” according to the vacancy announcement for the job, but only Weldon has a degree. He earned a bachelor of science in human sciences in 1997 from Troy University in Phenix City. Reynolds has earned 46 hours from Southern Union State Community College since 1988, where he remains enrolled.

Both Reynolds and Weldon have what the council considers “advanced training” since they both graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

The announcement also gives “special consideration” to those candidates with multi-cultural experience. With the Kia Manufacturing Plant being constructed in nearby West Point, Ga., and many of its suppliers locating in Valley, council members believed it was more important than ever to have a chief with that kind of experience.

Neither Reynolds nor Weldon listed multi-cultural experience in his letters or resumes.

Proximity to the city was a major concern for the council. After receiving two internal applications, the council agreed to accept applications from outside the department, but would only consider candidates who live within 30 miles of the city. Reynolds and Weldon both live in nearby Lanett.

Taylor, who served as Valley’s chief for one year, came from a police department in California.

“What we want is someone who wants to serve the city of Valley,” said council member Dr. Elizabeth Lyons.