Charlotte hires consulting firm, posts job listing for CMPD police chief position
Those hoping to take the top job at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have a little more than a month to polish up their resumes and cover letters before the application process closes.
The application for the next chief of CMPD was posted online July 18 and will remain open until Aug. 29, Lindsay Machak, a city spokesperson, said on Wednesday.
Machak said the California-based executive consulting firm Ralph Andersen & Associates was hired to help lead the search, which City Manager Marcus Jones has said would be conducted nationwide.
The city previously hired Ralph Andersen & Associates to lead searches for CMPD’s police chief in 2020, and city manager in 2016 when Ron Carlee stepped down.
The city’s communication office did not immediately release the cost of the current contract with the consulting firm.
The job posting said the salary ranged between $207,889 to $259,861, depending on experience. It also said the there are 1,936 sworn officers and 483 non-sworn staff, and a fiscal year 2026 budget of over $366 million for the department.
The new chief will begin in 2026 after Chief Johnny Jennings retires on Dec. 31. Jennings joined the department in 1992 and was promoted to chief in 2020.
He announced his resignation in May on the same day he released details of a $305,000 closed-session settlement he made with the city. Jennings was upset by attacks from City Council member Tariq Bokhari and calls for the chief’s resignation. Jennings consulted a lawyer and made some kind of legal threat to the city.
Jenning was earning $280,300 annually before that agreement.
Jennings has declined interviews with The Charlotte Observer on the settlement and other topics.
