City Council votes to begin negotiations with Chief of Police candidate Al Fear

Al Fear

In a special City Council meeting Thursday, May 23, 2024, City Administrator Rob Evans recommended Al Fear as the preferred candidate for Lamar’s next Chief of Police.  Per city charter, the Administrator makes a recommendation that Council then can vote to accept or decline.  Councilman Joe Gonzales motioned that Council allow Evans to enter into negotiations, seconded by Councilman Brent Bates.  Council voted unanimously on the choice, which authorized Evans to enter into negotiations with Fear, which he said he would be doing immediately following the meeting.  Assuming negotiations go well and Fear accepts the position, he will be replacing Kyle Miller who, earlier this year, announced his intention to retire in June after 20 years in the position.

Before announcing his recommendation, Evans stressed to Council and the public that the decision was not solely based on his interactions with or opinion of Fear.  Several months ago, the City hired KRW Associates, a “Public Sector Executive Search and Organizational Consulting” company to help seek out potential candidates for the position.  Evans stated that their suggestions, along with input from the public at the recent Meet and Greet as well as from the panelists, all ranked Mr. Fear as “the clear choice” and that it was “not all that close”.  He stated that the comments and rank order were nearly identical between himself, the panelists from last Friday and those of KRW.  Mayor Kirk Crespin added that in the many years he has been on City Council, several different methods of selecting hires have been used.  He said that by using a third-party, unbiased group and listening to their opinions and by including the input the community has given, that people can be assured that the selection wasn’t based on politics or “being friends” (referring to the finalists including one local candidate).  The third party “kept it official” he said, explaining why Council had earlier voted to hire the company,

Before Council voted, Councilman Manuel Tamez asked about whether there would be a probationary period for Fear.  Evans replied that, like all city employees, he would be subject to a 6-month probationary period.  If for some reason, after 6 months, the city doesn’t feel he is doing an adequate job, Evans stated that KRW agrees to perform a second search for free, with the city only obligated to pay their travel expenses.  He did say that the city does have “an alternate in place” should Fear choose not to accept the position.

Following is the bio of Fear that was previously supplied to us prior to the public Meet and Greet:

Al Fear is Commander of Police Operations for the Sterling (CO) Police Department and brings 27 years of law enforcement experience to the table. In his current position, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the agency, handles community concerns, and program development. He believes in transparency, accountability, innovation, and collaboration in leadership. His goal is to lead an organization while developing programs and policies that enhance the safety and relationships made within the community. Along with his professional experience, Al has been a guest speaker at multiple events, won several honors and awards, and has media and community impact experience.  He is also is a certified trainer in several multiple organizational and law enforcement topics, including explicit bias, recruitment and retention, and mental first aid.

By Barbara Crimond