Beaufort's hires new chief, but questions remain about the hiring process (2024)

BEAUFORT— Early in May, the City of Beaufort announced that two finalists had been selected in the search for a new chief of police, and the public was provided three opportunities to hear from the final candidates.

The candidates were publicly interviewed by a citizen's panel and by City Council in separate sessions. Then, the city hosted an informal meet-and-greet event with candidates. Again, the event was open the public.

Despite the apparent efforts by the city to be transparent in the hiring process, questions remain as to whether the city violated the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, which requires a final selection group of no less than three candidates when hiring for a public position.

Further, the act requires the names and qualifications of the final candidates be made available to the public. The city's press release dated May 8 revealed only the names of two candidates: then-interim Chief Stephenie Price and Kenneth J. Klamar, chief of the Sunset Beach Police Department in North Carolina.

Price, who had been serving as the city's interim police chief since the January retirement of Chief Dale McDorman, eventually won the role and was scheduled to be sworn in as the city's newest chief of police May 31.

Beaufort City Manager Scott Marshall said the city employed the executive search firm Find Great People in the months-long search for McDorman's replacement. The firm received 94 applicants and recommended about a dozen names to the city. Marshall selected nine for interviews.

The pool was reduced to five. A panel of city staff members then selected a finalist group of three candidates, which Marshall acknowledged is required by state law.

Then, things got complicated for the city. One applicant dropped out and a replacement was chosen. A second candidate exited the process and, again, a replacement was selected. Back to a pool of three, a third candidate withdrew from consideration because, Marshall said, he didn't want his name revealed publicly. The city was back down to two candidates, and they opted to move forward with just two finalists.

"We had rearranged those finalists so many times before we got to the final interviews. We had the date set and I was not going to reset the date. That involved five Council members' schedules, five community members' schedules and it was a nightmare to get all of that rescheduled."

To date, the city has onlyreleased the names of Price and Klamar.

Jay Bender, an attorney with the South Carolina Press Association, asserts that the city's finalist pool was not limited to just Price and Klamar. Each of the five names, according to Bender, are considered finalists.

"Under that process, they had a group of five from which the selection was made," Bender said. "The fact that they used the word finalist suggests that they haven't read the law."

Marshall disagreed with Bender's assessment, calling three of the candidates semifinalists, not finalists. He argued that the applicants had an expectation of privacy until they were qualified as finalists. As such, there was no requirement to release their names. Doing so, he said, could unnecessarily place their current jobs and community standing in jeopardy.

"That would serve no useful purpose and could damage a group of top-shelf police executives and their departments," Marshall added.

In a press release announcing Price's selection, Marshall said her success with community outreach programs, crime abatement initiatives and her familiarity with the community gave her the edge over Klamar.

Beaufort Mayor Phil Cromer called her "the right chief at the right time" for the city.

Price joined the Beaufort Police Department in February 2023 as deputy chief after serving as police chief in Bluffton and assistant police chief in Savannah. She started her career with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department in 1999.

In her new role, Price told The Post and Courier that she'll focus on community engagement, increasing communications, and reducing crime and the perception of crime.

"Further we are focusing on research into expanding our technology, youth engagement with non-enforcement interactions, concept to reality training, and mental health within the community," Price added.