Allison Stice covers crime and courts for the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. She graduated from the University of Maryland and has lived in the Ivory Coast and France. | The top three candidates for Bluffton Police Chief will be in town this week for interviews, with their names and biographies expected to be released Thursday.
Also on Thursday, the final picks for Bluffton’s top cop will meet with a panel of Bluffton residents selected by town manager Anthony Barrett, who will recommend one of the candidates for hire.
The Aug. 16 meeting is closed to the public. The residents selected to vet the final candidates are Matt Green, Rev. Paul Hamilton, Julie O’Donnell, Jim Sauter and Allen Ward.
The following day, the three candidates for chief will be interviewed individually by Barrett and town council members in groups of two. Senior Bluffton staff will also get to meet the applicants over coffee on Friday morning.
Barrett said he plans to announce the new chief the week of Aug. 20.
Former Bluffton Capt. Angel Tubbs came out of retirement to lead the department until a new chief is hired. Former Police Chief David McAllister left the post Aug. 1 for a private-sector job in Atlanta.