Police Chief Walter Distelzweig is retiring, handing Mayor Michael B. Coleman his second opportunity to pick the leader of the Police Division in three years.
But because of the city's charter, Coleman will have at most 13 candidates from which to choose.
There are seven police commanders and six deputy chiefs who have enough time in their jobs to qualify for chief. Safety officials weren't sure yesterday whether all the commanders have a bachelor's degree, which is also a requirement for the job.
The mayor and his safety director must choose the chief from the division's ranks, according to a charter change in 1999 that also limits the chief to two five-year terms and gives the mayor the power to dismiss a chief for any reason after the first term.
Distelzweig, 60, turned in a letter yesterday saying he will retire on Jan. 13. A member of the Police Division since 1972, he was appointed chief in March 2009.
"He will continue to be chief until the day he retires," said Sgt. Rich Weiner, the police division spokesman.
Weiner said Distelzweig wasn't available for comment yesterday.
Coleman's safety director, Mitchell J. Brown, technically will appoint the new chief, but Coleman will be involved in the decision.
Coleman's spokesman, Dan Williamson, said yesterday the process of appointing Distelzweig's successor will begin soon. Amanda Ford, a spokeswoman for the Safety Department, said the process could take three months.
"The director will work with the mayor to determine the process they will set up to get the appointment made," she said.
Sgt. Jim Gilbert, president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, said the union heard about the retirement yesterday from some of the division's top brass.
The FOP tangled with the Distelzweig administration on the recent patrol reorganization and has complained of lower morale because officers felt their voices weren't being heard.
In 2010, the Police Division shuffled officers and shifted patrol boundaries throughout the city in an attempt to balance their workload and better serve residents.
But Gilbert didn't dwell on the past yesterday.
"I'm going to survey our membership and see what the main priorities should be in the next police chief," he said. "There's a lot of value in listening to those that are out there on a daily basis pushing the cruisers around, and I hope the next chief sees value in that, too."
Gilbert said he couldn't hazard a guess about who might be the leading candidate to replace Distelzweig.
"With his announcement of his retirement today (Friday), it at least starts the thought process," he said.
The FOP president said boosting morale within the rank and file will be the most important challenge for the new chief.
"Morale is going to be a big thing," he said.
Although the charter requires the appointment of a chief from inside the division, Gilbert said the FOP would be open to any future discussions with city leaders about allowing outside candidates.
Before he became chief, Distelzweig enrolled in the statewide Deferred Retirement Option Plan program, commonly referred to as DROP, which was introduced in January 2003. The program allows police officers and firefighters to delay retirement for up to eight years while their pension payments accumulate, with interest, in a special account.
Because of the terms of the program, Distelzweig had to retire during 2012, said Weiner.
Distelzweig is Columbus' 31st police chief.
He promised to be an accessible chief when he was selected. "I'll be out there; you'll see me."
Coleman said at the time that he was looking for a chief who would be a "hands-on leader who will reach out to the community."
Distelzweig had been a deputy chief since 1998 and was supervising the administrative subdivision when he was named chief. He worked in the helicopter unit from 1976 to 1984 and also flew helicopters for the Ohio National Guard.
He replaced James G. Jackson, who agreed to retire as police chief in 2008 as part of the settlement of his long-standing defamation lawsuit against the city.
Copyright 2011 - The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
