Police Chief

The City of Lancaster, a growing and diverse community located at the southern edge of the burgeoning Charlotte metropolitan area, is seeking a strategic and visionary law enforcement leader to become their next Chief of Police. Lancaster is known as the “Red Rose City”, a community of nearly 10,000, and serves as the county seat for the 5th fastest growing county in South Carolina, Lancaster County. Lancaster reflects the adage, “small town friendly with access to big city amenities”, and City leaders are proud of the quality growth and municipal services they provide to the community.

The City Council is made up of six members, each elected by their individual district in staggered four-year terms. The mayor is also elected at large for a four-year term. Meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. The Council appoints a professionally trained City Administrator to oversee the City’s day to day operations and a combined funds annual budget of just over $32 million.

The Police Chief reports to the City Administrator and is responsible for overseeing a department comprised of 52.5 full-time employees, including 40 full-time sworn police officers. This full-service law enforcement agency also provides emergency communications, all supported by an annual operating budget of approximately $3.575 million, and a capital budget of $585,000.

The Lancaster Police Department is committed to enhancing the quality of life by creating partnerships with the community to protect and preserve life and property, to prevent crime and to resolve community problems. The department offers various services to address specific problems and to increase citizen awareness and participation in crime prevention. These services include victim’s assistance, school resource officers, bicycle patrol, bicycle registration, moped licensing, Crime Watch programs, security surveys, special response teams, drug enforcement, investigations and more. The Department is comprised of three divisions, Patrol, Special Operations, and Support Services.

The ideal candidate will be team oriented and possess exceptional leadership and communications skills. The City is seeking candidates with a track record of community involvement and an ability to establish strong relationships with neighborhoods, the business community, other law enforcement agencies including the Lancaster Sheriff’s Department, and other governmental agencies, City staff and the City Council. The City desires a candidate that exhibits strong diplomatic skills, self-confidence and the highest levels of integrity while serving the public with humility. The ability to exhibit a vision for the future of the Department, develop and mentor employees, and utilize municipal finance and budgeting experience to articulate departmental needs will be an advantage.

A bachelor’s degree in Business or Criminal Justice with 12 years of experience in law enforcement, at least five (5) of which have been at the management level; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. The starting salary range is $75,668 – $93,600, depending on a candidate’s qualifications and experience. A vehicle is provided, and other benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, and enrollment in the South Carolina retirement program. The selected candidate must possess a valid South Carolina Driver’s License and reside within the City’s corporate limits within six (6) months (exceptions to residency will be considered on a case by case basis). If selected, a candidate must have successfully completed the required courses through the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and hold required certifications within six months.

Qualified candidates please submit your cover letter and resume by visiting our website at: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/bakertilly/jobs/3507939/police-chief-lancaster-south- carolina. This position is open until filled; first review of applicants will occur on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Following this date, resumes will be screened against the criteria outlined in the brochure. Final interviews will be offered by the city to those candidates named as finalists, with reference, background, credit, and academic verifications conducted after receiving candidates’ permission. The selected candidate will be subject to a comprehensive background review. For more information, please contact: Art Davis at Art.Davis@BakerTilly.com or 816.868.7042.

To learn more about the City of Lancaster, South Carolina, please visit their website at https://www.lancastercitysc.com/.