Mayor L. Douglas Wilder's parting gift to Richmond could be a new police chief.

Wilder announced yesterday the formation of a search committee to find a successor to Rodney Monroe, who stepped down this month to become chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., Police Department.

Wilder set no timetable for the national search but expects an appointment before voters pick the next mayor, either in the Nov. 4 election or a Dec. 16 runoff.

Wilder, who isn't seeking a second term, said appointing a chief to pick up the city's crime-fighting efforts is too important to put off.

"Wait for what?" he asked during a news conference. "Criminals are not going to wait. The citizens should not be expected to wait, and we're not going to play politics with crime."

However, two of the five mayoral candidates said yesterday that the appointment should be left for the next mayor.

Candidate Lawrence E. Williams Sr. said delaying the decision probably would mean only two months because the search itself could last three months.

"Because the new police chief will be serving at the pleasure of the mayor, it may be best to postpone it or prolong the selection process," he said.

Del. Dwight Clinton Jones, another candidate, believes the next mayor should choose the next chief and that the Richmond Police Department is in good hands under Interim Chief David McCoy, campaign spokesman Kevin O'Holleran said.

The other mayoral hopefuls -- Paul Goldman, Robert J. Grey Jr. and City Council President William J. Pantele -- said they support Wilder's decision to press ahead.

James C. Cherry, a former Wachovia Bank president who led Richmond's last police chief search, will be a consultant to the committee.

Wilder acknowledged that the changing political landscape could make it difficult to persuade a candidate to leave a stable job but said such obstacles could be overcome with support from the city's government and the public.

Wilder said the search committee -- which he described as similar to the one that brought Monroe to Richmond -- will consider candidates from inside and outside the city police department.

He said he wants a chief who will embrace the brand of community-based sector policing that Monroe introduced, but Wilder also said he isn't seeking a clone.

"We're not asking people to be another Rodney Monroe -- be the best of whatever you are."
Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or wjones@timesdispatch.com.