List of police chief contenders narrowed to three

Friday, April 11, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Jerry Hoover, police chief in St. Joseph, Mo., was ranked the highest candidate by two of three screening panels that interviewed five candidates on Thursday.

Hoover was the top choice of community leader and law enforcement panels.

Bayan Lewis, assistant chief in Los Angeles, was the favored candidate of a committee of city employees.

Jim Everett, an insurance investigator and former police chief in Aurora, Colo, and Austin, Texas, was rated second and third by two committees.

City Manager Charles McNeely said he will now interview the three finalists and make a recommendation to the City Council in about a month.

"Three candidates stood out and I will follow up on the top three," he said following the day-long interviews.

The new chief will replace Acting Chief Jim Weston, a 25-year department veteran who announced in September his intent to revert to his old job as deputy chief after a contract agreement with the city could not be reached.

Weston, 44, took over as chief in January 1995 when former chief Dick Kirkland was elected Washoe County sheriff.

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