Diverse Candidate Field for Chief of Police

The search for Traverse City’s next chief of police netted 48 diverse candidates from across the country, including several Michigan police chiefs, FBI veterans, casino security managers and the department’s interim leader.

The Ticker obtained 42 applications for the city’s top law enforcement position; six applications from candidates who requested confidentiality were not released. Of the applicants, 23 are from Michigan; the remaining 19 come from a dozen other states including California, Colorado, Florida, Connecticut and Arkansas. Only one woman applied for the post: Patricia Nowak, Police Chief of Indiana University in Gary, Indiana.

The position pays a minimum salary of $75,000 and requires seven years’ experience as a police or safety officer, in addition to five years as a command officer. A significant number of applicants boast extensive law enforcement backgrounds that appear to meet those standards, with roughly half the field already reaching the rank of chief of police.

Within Michigan alone, the police chiefs of Mackinaw City (Patrick Wyman), Hamtramck (Maxwell Garbarino), White Lake Township (Adam Kline), Trenton (James Nardone), Flint (George Sippert), Port Huron (Michael Reaves) and Greenville (Mark Reiss) all applied for the TC post. Retired Royal Oak Chief of Police Christopher Jahnke and Detroit Deputy Police Chief David LeValley submitted resumes, as did Walter Reynolds, a 25-year FBI veteran who was the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Michigan Division of the FBI.

Only three candidates hail from northern Michigan agencies: Undersheriff Trent Taylor of Wexford County Sheriff’s Office, Sergeant Charlie Jetter of Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office, and Traverse City Police Department Interim Chief of Police Jeff O’Brien. Captain Mike Ayling of the TCPD, who is facing an August 3 trial for a misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty, did not submit an application.

Some city commissioners, citing Ayling’s arrest and a recent investigation into the department’s handling of former city manager Jered Ottenwess, have called for a reboot of TCPD leadership by hiring an outside candidate. But City Manager Marty Colburn, who will make the hiring decision, says those “conversations haven’t taken place” directly with him and that he’s open to all applicants.

“I have one internal candidate (O’Brien), and he’s fair game as far as being a potential candidate,” says Colburn.

O’Brien, who has been with the TCPD since 1991, tells The Ticker he has a track record of “being a community leader” and that he hopes to proactively engage the public with the department if selected as its next chief.

“I want to be as transparent as we possibly can, to let people know this is their police department and the civilians control this,” O’Brien says. In response to criticism of TCPD’s internal culture, O’Brien notes the department undergoes frequent independent reviews and says he’d “invite anybody to come in and look at us as an agency” if they have concerns.

Retired TCPD Chief Mike Warren, TC Fire Department Chief Jim Tuller and retired District Judge Michael Haley all submitted letters of recommendation for O’Brien. “It is my hope you will consider Captain O’Brien to fill the role of Chief of Police upon my retirement,” Warren wrote to Colburn in a letter dated June 19. Tuller said O’Brien has a “solid working relationship (with) his counterparts…due to his professional demeanor and willingness to work with others in a positive and collaborative fashion.”

Haley referenced observing O’Brien in the field for 20 years, saying he has “a quiet and effective leadership style” and is “well-liked and respected in the law enforcement community.” He called O’Brien “a wise choice” to be the next chief of police.

Colburn, who has hired “at least three” police chiefs already in his career, says his next step will be to narrow down the field of applicants for first-round interviews and create an ideal candidate profile with input from a panel of professionals. He did not disclose a timeline for the hiring process. Traverse City Mayor Michael Estes says he "applauds (Colburn) for taking his time with this decision.”

“It’s an important job and an important position to fill,” says Estes. “We have to make sure when we do fill it, it’s with the right person.”