With less than two weeks until Wibert packs up his belongings, City Manager Ted Staton has begun taking the early steps to find Wibert’s successor. The decision involves East Lansing City Council and a community panel that will be assembled in the coming months.

Earlier this month, Wibert accepted the job as police chief for the city of New Braunfels, Texas. His last day with the East Lansing Police Department, or ELPD, is expected to be Oct. 31.

Staton, who is heading up the search, said he has begun meeting with the ELPD, employees and community groups – such as the Community Relations Coalition, University Student Coalition and the Celebrations Committee – to form an idea of what traits are necessary for the next police chief. Staton said he already has spoken to about 50 to 60 employees within the ELPD.

Although the exact timeline for hiring has yet to be solidified, Staton said the hiring process will take at least three months. Between the time of Wibert’s departure and the naming of the next chief, an interim director from within the ELPD will be named, Staton said. He expects an interim director to be named around Oct. 25.

The hiring process includes choosing interim leadership, constructing an accurate job description, conducting a national search, narrowing down the candidates and assembling a community panel to provide observations of strengths and weaknesses of each candidate, Staton said.

“This is a very important decision,” he said. “It’s the largest department, the most employees, the biggest budget, the biggest impact on community; it’s important to get (it) done right before getting it done quickly.”

Both Staton and Wibert emphasized that the ELPD’s next leader will have to have good communication skills.

“East Lansing is a unique community, as we have families here,” Wibert said. “We have kids, we have an elderly program and we end up having a lot of contact with them and all the different student groups and people from over 130 countries, so they need to be able to communicate well.”

Staton said he is looking for a new chief who also would be aware of his roles outside of the police station.

“You’re a department director,” Staton said. “You’re one of 10 people that help steer the city organization. You’re not just the chief of police. Someone who sees that broader role is important to me.”

Wibert said several issues the next chief will have to deal with include a work schedule that interferes with family time and a budget that has been shrinking for the last five years.

Staton said he already has received two inquires about the job, and expects to have between 50 and 100 applications to choose from for the position.