The City of Florence is looking for a new chief of police. One of the finalists is Lane County Sheriff Tom Turner.
The Interim Chief of Police in Florence is Lynn Lamm who was appointed after Ray Gutierrez retired. The chief oversees 22 employees, including 9 officers.
The six finalists for the job are all males. Two of them currently work in Oregon, including Jeffrey Isham with the Polk County Sheriff's Office. The other is Lane County Sheriff Tom Turner. He began his career in law enforcement in Florence more than three decades ago.
Three finalists are from Idaho – Dana Maxfield, with the Canyon County Sheriff's Office; Jim Peterson is the Deputy Chief in Pocatello; and Ron Clark is the Interim Chief at the Coeur d'Alene Police Department. Rounding out the Florence finalists is Peter Scheets, a former chief of police in a small Texas city.
On Thursday a group of local law enforcement officers will interview the six finalists. A panel of community members will do the same on Friday. Both panels will make a recommendation toFlorence City Manager Jacque Betz, who has the final hiring decision.
The community is invited to a meet and greet with the chief of police finalists Thursday, April 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Florence Events Center at 715 Quince St.