Announcement on Wichita police chief selection expected Monday

Wichita City Manager Robert Layton is expected to announce something Monday on the selection of a new police chief, according to a source.

The announcement is expected at the 10 a.m. Monday police briefing for media at City Hall.

On Friday, the city’s Facebook page said that the announcement of a new chief “is drawing closer and closer.”

The two finalists for the job are Joel Fitzgerald, police chief in Allentown, Pa., and Terri Moses, executive director of safety services for the Wichita school district.

Fitzgerald — a 44-year-old rising star who has spent most of his career as a Philadelphia cop — would be the first outsider since 1989 to head the state’s largest police agency. Fitzgerald also is a finalist for the Fort Worth police chief position.

Moses, 56, is a former longtime Wichita deputy police chief. She retired from the Police Department after 32 years, rising from rookie to deputy chief in 14 years. Moses worked in or oversaw every police division. She has held the school district position since 2013.

The Wichita police chief oversees a budget of almost $82 million and about 840 employees.

The last outsider chosen as Wichita’s police chief was Rick Stone, who came from Dallas in 1989 and resigned in 1995.

A new chief will manage a department that has been led by Interim Police Chief Nelson Mosley since Police Chief Norman Williams retired a year ago after a 14-year tenure.

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Announcement on Wichita police chief selection expected Monday."