NORFOLK, Va. — One day after Norfolk City Manager Chip Filer introduced Mark Talbot as the city's new police chief, the Norfolk Branch NAACP is calling for a redo.
After a nearly year-long search, Norfolk's new police chief is coming from right across the water. Hampton Police Chief Talbot will take over the role of top cop in Norfolk on May 1.
On Thursday, the Norfolk NAACP released a statement saying it "does not have confidence in the process by which the new Chief of Police was selected." The organization is calling for "an immediate discontinuation of the current hiring process..."
Chief Talbot was on the board that helped Norfolk city leaders interview candidates for the role and helped them narrow it down to a final three candidates.
In a press conference Wednesday, City Manager Filer said that when it came down to the final three candidates, he still didn’t feel like he had the right candidate in front of him.
"I called Chief Talbot and kind of told him where my head was, what I was thinking, and asked if he would be an applicant for the position," Filer said in the press conference. "At which point he did put in his application and then went through the assessment process..."
The Norfolk NAACP said that Talbot's involvement in the hiring process raises ethical questions.
"We have reasonable cause to believe that the City Manager, Chip Filer, misused his authority and implemented biased practices by selecting Michael Talbot as the new Chief of Police," the Norfolk NAACP said.
The Norfolk NAACP is calling for a community town hall to discuss the rehiring process, excluding Talbot, and the implementation of an "NPD Citizen Review Board."
City Manager Filer said Chief Talbot went through the same hiring process as the other candidates.
Talbot is set to officially take over the role of Norfolk's top cop on May 1.
