Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2022 UCW 11 VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 10 OCTOBER | 2020 Inspiring, educating, empowering and celebrating women in our community M A G A Z I N E West Fayetteville Farm Girls Fall Flavors for Your Table Help for Women's Health Carve and Craft Pumpkin Art More inside: VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER | 2020 Inspiring, educating, empowering and celebrating women in our community M A G A Z I N E Easy Entertaining with Friends and Family Amplifying Thanks with a Grateful Attitude Destressing the Holidays Soup's On: Simple Suppers More inside: Simple Pleasures Simple Pleasures BY, FOR & ABOUT Inspiring, educating, empowering and celebrating women in our community NEWS Police Chief finalists announced by MICHAEL FUTCH, CityView Today e Fayetteville city manager on Dec. 9 an- nounced the two finalists to become the city's next police chief and both are already familiar with the department and the community. City Manager Doug Hewett told members of the media that Kemberle Braden and James Nolette, both assistant chiefs in the Police Department, are the finalists to replace retiring Chief Gina Hawkins. Hewett, who will make the decision, said he hoped to have the chief named before Christmas. Members of the public can ask questions of the candidates during a community forum sched- uled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the council chambers at City Hall. Residents also may submit questions in advance. e link for online questions, which is set to be posted this afternoon, is available at fayettevil- lenc.gov/chiefsearch. e candidates introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their history with the depart- ment. e media was not allowed to ask questions. "e candidates in this forum will not answer any questions. Only Mr. Hewett will," said Loren Bymer, a spokesman for the city. "ere will be (an) opportunity on Tuesday for candidates to receive questions." Bymer said Friday's announcement of the two finalists was part of the employment process. e names of the other candidates will not be released, Bymer said. Nolette and Braden were among 10 potential candidates identified during the search process. "I am proud that following a rigorous process (that pooled a variety of candidates from around the country), both of our finalists are from here, Fayetteville, North Carolina, and have demon- strated that they are invested in this community," Hewett said. Braden commands the Field Operations Bureau for the department, which is made up of various patrol and investigative units and over- sees patrol operations, major crimes and vice operations. "I have been serving the Fayetteville commu- nity for the last 27 years," he said. "And I'm origi- nally from Fayetteville, as my father was a retired Special Forces soldier out at Fort Bragg." Nolette said he has been with the Fayetteville Police Department for approximately 25 years. "I came to North Carolina — as based on my accent you can tell I'm not from here — originally from Providence, Rhode Island," he said. Technically, he said, he's a third-generation police officer who has lived in Fayetteville since 1999. at included a six-year stint with Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division. "I've made this my home. I didn't want to go back to Rhode Island and shovel snow any more so this is where I stayed." He married his wife, who is from Fayetteville, and together they have an 11-year-old son. "Incredibly humbled by this opportunity," Nolette said. Nolette commands the Specialized Services Bureau, which is comprised of various units in training and professional development, field operations support, the Community Resources Division, Specialized Operations, Central Record and the Technical Support Division. "When we began this search," Hewett said, "we went through a comprehensive process to gather input from stakeholders, including council, po- lice department staff, city staff and the residents of Fayetteville. is information helped us under- stand what the important characteristics were for our next chief of police." "Overwhelmingly," he added, "the feedback that we received was someone who prioritizes collaboration, transparency, accountability and a desire to make Fayetteville even safer and a more secure place to live. We knew based on com- munity interest that our chief should be invested fully in this community." rough a search firm hired by the city, the Chapel Hill-based Developmental Associates, the city began searching nationally for candi- dates who met that criteria, Hewett said. e search process included the identification of possible candidates, screening and preliminary interviews. e assessment center run by the search firm included law enforcement professionals from communities across the nation and local com- munity members who served as volunteer evaluators. Kemberle Braden MICHAEL FUTCH, CityView Today. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. James Nolette