Police Chief Search Narrowed Down to 3 Candidates

Three finalists are vying for the position of Monrovia's police chief after city staff and a citizen panel interviewed nine applicants for the job, the city manager said Monday.

The city is consulting with an attorney to see if it can release the names of the finalists, City Manager Scott Ochoa said. In an interview, he would not say if Interim Chief Jim Hunt is one of the finalists.

Ochoa wrote in his weekly report that he expects to make a choice soon.

"A clear top three grouping was evident, and these finalists will be brought back for a second round of interviews," Ochoa wrote. "At this point, considering the feedback received from the panels, I think Monrovia will be well-served by this process and we will have our new chief seated very soon."

Roger Johnson , and the search has been on to find his replacement ever since. Johnson rose through the ranks of the department and became chief in 2002.