Three finalists have been named in a search for a new Western Kentucky University police chief.

Lynne Holland, WKU’s dean of students and chief diversity officer, announced the news in a faculty and staff-all email earlier this week. The finalists include the university’s Interim Chief Mitch Walker, Furman University Police Department Chief Tom Saccenti and Jim Hyde, a retired Bowling Green Police Department assistant police chief.

“The pool has been very deep,” Holland said of the applicant pool’s diversity and qualifications.

“It’s been difficult narrowing it down to the three finalists at this particular time.”

WKU faculty, students and staff will get to meet the finalists through a series of forums scheduled next week.

Brian Kuster, vice president of student affairs, said 46 people applied for the job. The job vacancy was listed in May, he said.

The search for WKU’s new police chief has been developing since the retirement of former chief Robert Deane. Deane’s departure followed the release of a report critical of the department’s direction. The report, which was written by consultant Bill Waltrip – a retired Bowling Green Police Department chief – included interviewing department employees and found low morale among staff and a generally “toxic” culture, with many officers saying they saw a “lack of transparency from leadership.”

In May, Deane contested the findings of that report in a lawsuit claiming he’d been forced into an early retirement.

In light of the report’s findings, Kuster said Walker has been implementing changes.

“He’s been working with our current officers and making some changes,” Kuster said.

Some of changes pertain to how the department operates, and Kuster said it’s even considering facility renovations as well.

As for the new chief of police, Kuster said the university wants to see its police department continue moving forward. The ideal candidate will be someone who can work transparently, build consensus and help improve the department’s years-long recruitment problem, Kuster said.

“We’re looking for someone that can continue that process,” he said.

A big part of that includes a new focus on “community oriented policing,” according to the position’s job description.

“Given that community-oriented policing is becoming more prevalent on university campuses; this position will lead the WKU Police Department with a philosophy that encourages all police department staff to partner with members of the university community to work together, to develop problem-solving techniques, and to become an integral part of the university community,” the description reads.

To achieve that, Kuster said campus focus groups have been consulted to help write the job description. Each candidate will give a presentation next week about their leadership style and goals and will be available for corresponding student forums. Hyde, Walker and Saccenti will give their presentations at 10:20 a.m. in the Downing Student Union, Room 2001, on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Hyde, Walker and Saccenti will also attend student forums at 2:15 p.m. in the same location Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.

Going forward, Holland said the search committee’s role isn’t to make a final recommendation but to evaluate the candidates.

“Our task is just to say ‘yes, this person is hireable’ or ‘no, this person is not hireable,’ ” she said.

Holland described the search committee as a cross-section of the WKU campus community. She said the ideal candidate will be able to lead both a university department and a police force while also strengthening policing relationships on campus.

The final decision rests with Kuster, who said that decision is about two or three weeks away.

More information about the candidates and their qualifications is available at wku.edu/studentaffairs/chief-of-police.