Portsmouth chooses new interim police chief

PORTSMOUTH

Assistant Police Chief Harry "Skip" Fremd will serve as new interim chief after William Corvello, the department's temporary leader since May, vacates the office today.

A permanent chief is expected to be hired in early 2009, said Toni Smaw-Bembry, the city's director of human-resource management. Applications are being accepted through Oct. 17.

The city began advertising for the job Aug. 25. That was the day city leaders talked Corvello out of resigning early and staying on as interim chief until January, when he said a new, permanent chief was to be in place.

Corvello changed his mind two weeks ago, resigning again to spend more time with his family, he said. The retired Virginia State Police superintendent has run the 350-employee department since the resignation of Edward Long in May.

The city is not using a consultant or search firm, Smaw-Bembry said. Ads have run in local newspapers, on city Web pages and in state and international journals, she said. They call for at least a bachelor's degree and 10 to 15 years of law enforcement experience. They offer an annual salary range of $71,996 to $120,000. Smaw-Bembry said she hasn't counted the number of applicants so far.

Fremd, 55, is a 33-year department veteran who has filled in temporarily at the top before. He said Tuesday that he's not a candidate for the permanent job. While filling in, he said, he plans to continue the work that Corvello started in several areas, including increasing police visibility through patrols and visits to community meetings, pushing for more competitive pay and reviewing organizational changes.

"We're looking at ways to be more efficient and to save money, because there's not a lot of money to go around," Fremd said.

Corvello, who will be 77 on Tuesday, said in a recent interview that more than 40 years in public safety is enough. He said he is tired of being separated during the week from his wife, daughter and grandchildren, who all live in the Williamsburg area.

He said he'd help in the search for a new chief. Whoever takes the job needs to be strong enough to make organizational changes that might make people unhappy, and even cause some to leave the department, he said.

Corvello has already recommended some changes to the city manager but declined to comment on them while they're being evaluated. However, he said, among other things, more officers need to be rotated between units to prevent complacency and more teams should be created to allow the same officers and supervisors to work together. He also said a change in patrol schedules is pending approval that would broaden overnight coverage to target areas of need. The recommendation might upset some, he said.

But, he said, "we exist not to provide jobs and salaries, but we exist to serve the public. And sometimes people in executive positions tend to forget that."

Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com