Acting Police Chief Henry Trabert Recommended for Permanent Position

Acting Police Chief Henry Trabert will be City Manager Doug Miller’s recommendation Monday night to fill the city’s top law enforcement position.

“The city charter empowers the city manager to recruit and nominate the police chief,” Miller said.  “The mayor and council must confirm that nomination.”

Miller used the Novak Consulting Group to conduct a nearly four-month national search for the city’s next police chief. Catherine Tuck Parrish from Novak acted as the city’s lead consultant, Miller said. Parrish did the marketing and received the applications.

“We had a group of highly qualified applicants,” Miller said.

A field of 50 applicants was reduced to five—including Trabert. Then it was reduced to three when two of the candidates dropped from the running, Miller said.

Trabert competed against one candidate from New York and another from Northern Virginia. Both refused to give their names for publication because they are already working in other departments and didn't want to jeopardize their positions.

Mayor Michael E. Bennett and City Council members held a breakfast meeting Thursday to meet the candidates before a three-part interview.

“Each portion of the process ran between an hour and an hour and a half,” Miller said.

First, candidates were interviewed before a panel. Second, they toured the city with the mayor. Then they had one-on-one interviews with Miller. 

“They’re all very experienced,” Bennett said on Thursday, as the process was ongoing. “They all have educational qualifications.” 

Miller said the interview panel consisted of five people:

▪                An Aberdeen resident

▪                A member of the Aberdeen business community

▪                A sworn officer from the police department

▪                A police chief from another department

▪                A member of the city of Aberdeen staff.

“When the interviews were complete, I was briefed by the panel on their observations,” Miller said. “Their observations and mine were almost identical. Then I consulted with the mayor.”

Miller said that, based on all of the information, Trabert was the best person for the job.

“After very careful consideration, and weighing what the panel and I discussed and weighing what the mayor and I discussed, I will bring forth Henry Trabert’s name as my nominee for confirmation on Monday night,” Miller said.