Cost to find Savannah’s next police chief

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The search efforts began this summer when the City of Savannah hired a consultant based in Washington D.C. to look for Savannah’s next police chief.

In July, the city signed a contract with Police Executive Research Forum and agreed to pay the firm $45,000 for the search efforts.

A copy of the contract shows the scope of work. The consultant agreed to solicit public feedback in the form of community surveys, recruit candidates, vet the applicants, recommend the finalists and organize an interview panel.

According to the records, the search firm narrowed the search to these three finalists.

Gunther, who was ultimately selected as the Savannah Police Chief, has 21 years of experience - having spent his entire career with the Savannah Police Department.

One of the finalists was Jackie Gwinn-Vollaroel, the Deputy Chief for Louisville Metro Police Department with more than 25 years of experience - almost all those years spent with the Atlanta Police Department.

Another finalist was Scott Booth, the Police Chief for the City of Danville in Virginia with 27 years of experience in law enforcement.

Copies of invoices show the panelist interviews happened on Dec. 6th at the Marriott Savannah Riverfront in downtown Savannah. The city paid to reserve rooms and cater the event, which cost more than $8,000. That brings the total cost for the search to more than $53,000.

We have copies of the resumes for the three finalists below:

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