Holden releases names of police chief search committee members

Mayor Kip Holden has released the names of the members of an advisory committee charged with helping find a new police chief. The committee is made up of high-profile business, community and religious leaders, chaired by retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré. Walter Monsour, the former chief administrative officer, now head of the East Baton Rouge Parish Redevelopment Authority, is vice chairman. Other members are: Rev. Leo Cyrus, Mary Frey Eaton, Mike Polito, Louis Reine, John Sinquefield, Owen Weber, Janet Boles, Wayne Woody, Rev. Tommy Gipson, Jacqui Vines, Christel Slaughter, Col. Mike Edmonson, Terry Landry, Rev. Chris Andrews, Cheri Ausberry, Patrick Kerr, Jim Ellis, Hillar Moore, Timothy Mockler, Sidney Coffee and Rev. Raymond Jetson. The committee members have received information about the 30 police chief candidates who were certified by the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board. Holden says he has asked the committee to narrow the pool down to the top five applicants. “We owe it to the people of Baton Rouge as well as this pool of applicants to conduct a fair search that is free of political pressures to find the best-qualified candidate,” Holden says.