MILTON — The Milton Police Department will have a new police chief in Tony Tindell.
The announcement follows an extensive search that included more than 40 applicants, City Manager Brian Watkins said.
“We have a little bit of contract negotiating to do, but even though it was a long and arduous process I think we got the best person to be our police chief,” he said.
The process involved entering the Selection Training Assessment Recruitment and Support, or STARS, program with the Florida Police Chiefs Association. In March, at Watkins’ recommendation, the council voted in favor of entering the program at a cost of $11,000.
While the STARS program received some criticism from the council due to its cost, Tindell said he was thankful for undergoing the process.
Tindell, 54, said the job application process included self-evaluation, writing a competitive resume, and completing a lengthy questionnaire within a short amount of time.
“Everything else did not stop because of it; I still had to work 40 hours a week,” he said. “You don’t want to take that position, especially if you don’t want it for the right reasons, and I did. I spent plenty of time evaluating that.”
Tindell was not the only MPD officer seeking to fill the position; Capt. David Cox also submitted his name for consideration in replacing former Chief Greg Brand who retired in late February.
During the meeting, Tindell thanked Cox for his continued professionalism during the process. While the search process was underway, both men continued to oversee daily operations at the department.
Tindell anticipates continuing to work alongside Cox and the rest of the department’s officers.
‘There are some mandates that the chief has to put out and everyone has to follow,” he said. “I do want to have the approach of working together. I do want their input, I can’t do it by myself.”
The department veteran of 27 years plans to find improvement areas, with input from MPD staffers and community members.
“I am looking forward to the challenges,” Tindell said. “We got a good department, we got good people. We are very fortunate enough with our relationship with the community; the groundwork has been laid and now we can improve in several areas.”
Tindell received a standing ovation at the meeting from council and city staffers. Tindell also received praise from Milton Mayor Wesley Meiss.
“He has done a wonderful job for the city of Milton in all of the years he has been here, and he is a good fit for Milton,” Meiss said.
Once the contract negotiation process has been completed, Watkins expects Tindell to be sworn in at his new position.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Tindell named Milton's new police chief (VIDEO)