On Feb. 15, the City of Alliance announced the hiring of David Leavitt as the next Chief of the Alliance Police Department, leading to an outpouring of sentiment from the public both in support and against the selection.
In the announcement on Feb. 15, it was noted that the city was aided in the search by search consultants Government Professional Solutions (GPS), a Police Review Board made up of sheriffs and police chiefs in the region, and the Alliance Civil Service Commission. The search yielded a total of nine candidates who applied for the position. City Manager Seth Sorensen said he was grateful to have had nine candidates from which to choose the next chief.
“It was hard enough to find officers and department heads before, but ever since the ‘defund police’ movement, along with other national issues, it has become extremely difficult to attract people to public safety and those who are qualified to become a police chief can often have their pick of where they would like to be located,” said Sorensen. “It was a good thing to have a pool to choose from rather than having only one or two candidates.”
David Leavitt, of Nashville, Tenn., was hired at a salary of $94,536 per year.
“Chief Leavitt retired from the Metro Nashville Police Department after more than twenty years of service, which included time as a patrol officer, patrol sergeant, internal affairs, lieutenant, and captain. After promotion to lieutenant, Leavitt served as a watch commander and as an instructor with the Citizen Policy Academy,” the press release announcing his hiring stated.
According to the press release, Leavitt was a paramedic before becoming a police officer. Leavitt has two of degrees, including a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master of Public Administration degree. Both of the degrees are from Columbia Southern University.
Sorensen explained that he will face some challenges when he arrives to take the reins.
“Staffing issues are certainly at the top of the list, as it is for police departments across the country. Chief Leavitt, along with all employees of the City, will need to continue to build and in some cases rebuild trust with the community,” Sorensen said.
Sorensen said that the dedication of the officers to the community will help Leavitt as he builds the department. Sorensen explained that finding a way for officers to have a better work-life balance will be important moving forward.
The hiring of Leavitt has sparked criticism from several people, many of whom cited an article by WPLN News in Nashville regarding Leavitt being disciplined for alleged sexual harassment. According to the article, which was published on November 8, 2021, Leavitt was allowed to retire in good standing from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, following a sexual harassment charge and subsequent discipline. The article tells of two other disciplinary actions taken against Leavitt by the MNPD throughout his time in service.
No legal actions were taken against Leavitt.
On Feb. 16, the City of Alliance issued a press release responding to the allegations, noting that Leavitt, “proactively shared at the very beginning of the vetting process his side of the story of the events reported by wpln.org.” The release also cited the vetting process used and how they found “no reason for Chief Leavitt to be disqualified for consideration of the police chief position.”
The search has been ongoing since Alliance Chief of Police Philip Lukens submitted his resignation, effective Sept. 15, 2023. Since that time, Lieutenant Kirk Felker, who has had more than 26 years of experience with the department, has served as the interim chief as the city searched for someone to fill the position.
On Dec. 15, 2023, the city of Alliance announced their intent to interview three candidates for the position, including Felker. Sorensen issued a press release on Jan. 19 thanking the candidates who were interviewed, but ultimately announcing that the search would continue.
“The City of Alliance recently completed interviews with three candidates for the position of Chief of Police but was unable to come to mutually agreeable terms with the candidates,” the release stated. “We thank those who dedicated their time and talents during the process thus far.”
In an interview between Sorensen and Jason Wentworth on the Panhandle Post Podcast, Sorensen said that the offer was not made to the local candidate. Sorensen explained to the Alliance Times-Herald that Felker is dedicated to the community, but there are a variety of reasons as to why he was not selected to serve in the role at this time. Sorensen reiterated that Leavitt was determined to have the most qualifications.
“There was an extensive process to the hiring of Chief Leavitt that involved multiple disparate, independent groups that all reached the same conclusion – that he was the most qualified candidate,” said Sorensen.