PORTLAND — Police Chief James Craig is among 10 applicants that are being interviewed to be Cincinnati’s next police chief.

A search committee narrowed the field from a pool of 41 applicants. The city will continue to accept applications until the position is filled. A total of 45 people have applied so far, but four have dropped out.

The 10 first-round candidates are being interviewed by the search committee over the phone. The second round will involve in-person interviews of four to six candidates by the search committee.
City Manager Milton Dohoney will then interview the top two or three candidates. Dohoney could then make a candidate an offer, revisit the pool or applicants or restart the search.

Craig said today that he went through a very structured and lengthy telephone interview. He said it was exciting to be among the top 10 candidates for a police chief’s position in a major city.

“If I’m not selected, I’m going to continue to work hard to continue to move this department forward,” he said.

Craig said he’s been able to work with some of the finest people in the profession during the two years since he’s been chief in Portland. He also praised the commitment of the community.

Craig had retired as a captain in the Los Angles Police Department before coming to Portland. He started his law enforcement career in his hometown of Detroit.

The Cincinnati job is open because the previous police chief, Tom Streicher, retired last month. The city started the search with his retirement plans in mind, but put it on hold as the City Council discussed merging the police department with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.