Proposal to Combine Law Enforcement Divisions Withdrawn

(WOLO) COLUMBIA,S.C., — A process to find Colmbia’s next top cop was in question after councilman Runyon proposed merging Columbia Police Department with The Richland County Sherff’s Department under the leadership of Sheriff Leon Lott. That measure was withdrawn after a majority of council members disagreed with the timing and possibility of stopping a search that has been underway for months. It took Council members just 45 minutes of a specially called meeting to vote unanimously to allow City manager Teresa Wilson to continue her search, she says is almost completed. While Wilson did not give names, she did say the proposal presented by Runyon Monday left some of the candidates with concerns, some of them wanting to know where this left them in the process. Since then, one candidate A. Tony Fisher has dropped out of the running leaving just two candidates still vying for the job. The City Manager would not give specifics about who the two remaining candidates are. meanwhile, she’s planning a roundtable with the final candidates Friday here in Columbia and plans to make the announcement on her choice for the new Police Chief as soon as next week.