Police chief list down to 5

City Manager Tom Barwin has narrowed the list of 13 police chief candidates to five today.

The short list of five includes:
· Gregory Anderson, Oak Forest, Ill., police chief
· Bernadette DiPino, Ocean City, Md., police chief
· Salvatore Ruggiero, Tampa police major (retired)
· Mark Teunis, Clearwater Support Services commander
· Tonya Vincent, Richmond, Va., deputy police chief

The goal is to name a new police chief before the end of October when Police Chief Mike Hollaway retires. As the next step in the process, the city manager, along with members of the community, will interview the semifinalists in early October. The salary range for the position is $86,944 to $145,818.

This spring, 98 candidates applied for the city's top police post. By the time newly-hired city manager Barwin came to Sarasota two weeks ago, he had a short list of 13 candidates waiting for him. That list was compiled by interim City Manager Terry Lewis, who was appointed after the forced resignation of the previous city manager, Robert Bartolotta.

Former Chief Peter Abbott resigned in 2010. Hollaway, the most senior captain on the force at the time, was named police chief.

Barwin said that Hollaway has offered to stay with the police department during the beginning of the new chief's transition.

The  chief would oversee the city's police department operations from a 201,000-square-foot police headquarters constructed in 2010 and manage a police force of 175 sworn officers.

Of the five finalists, two are police chiefs, two are from Florida law-enforcement agencies, and two are women.

Contact Roger Droun at [email protected].