Albany city manager plans to promote from within to fill police chief job

ALBANY — Interim City Manager Tom Berry said this morning the Albany Police Department chieff of police position, which will open with the May 29 retirement of Chief John Proctor, is being advertised internally starting today.

Proctor announced his retirement Wednesday, and Berry said the chief’s replacement will “absolutely come from within” the police department.

“We will open up the application process internally only,” Berry said after attending the Albany Utility Board meeting. “We’ll take applications for the next 14 calendar days, and with Human Resources will set up a review panel to evaluate the candidates.

“We definitely will have a replacement before Chief Proctor leaves. We want the new chief to have some time with him.”

Berry said a job description for the chief’s position is being finalized, and any APD officers who meet the qualifications are eligible to apply.

“We’re not necessarily going to look at rank; we’re going to look more at experience,” the city manager said. “I have no concern whatsoever about opening the position internally only. We have some good folks on our police department.”

Proctor, who has served as APD chief for the past six years, said Wednesday that as he moves on to spend more time with his family, he hopes he’s “established a framework that will allow (the) organization to move forward.” Before accepting the chief’s position in Albany in 2009, Proctor served 28 years with the Tallahassee Police Department.

Among his accomplishments with the Albany Police Department is leading APD to national certification and establishing a neighborhood watch program that Berry described as “second-to-none.”

Proctor also updated equipment used by APD that was “20 years behind the times” during his tenure as chief of the department.