Dear residents,
I am happy to announce that the Town Commission has ratified the selection of Dan Kerr as Chief of Police, Jupiter Inlet Colony.
Dan has had a distinguished career, culminating in his term as chief in Jupiter. We are very fortunate that he wants to serve our community,
He will start as soon as the necessary legal steps are completed.
I know you will join me in warmly welcoming him to JIC.
Chip
Chip Block
Mayor, Jupiter Inlet Colony
The Chief of Police Selection Committee was created with the purpose to select, screen, conduct background checks and interview candidates and provide their recommendations to the Mayor and Commission for the final selection. The committee will be fair and operate in a businesslike manner, doing everything legally. Anyone can apply for the position. Although the Mayor has the authority on how the police department is organized, the committee will make recommendations on department structure and operations.
The committee will consist of five members which will be composed of Vice Mayor Block, Commissioner Dick Busto, Chief Gus Media of the Village of Tequesta Police Department, and JIC residents Tony Prosser and Pam Rauch. Town Council Doney will provide legal advice.
The process of selecting a new JIC Chief is critically important, and the committee hopes everyone will be satisfied with the process that will be fair and open and will result with them picking or recommending the best candidate(s).
All candidates for Officer hires in Jupiter Inlet Colony are subject to extensive background checks which are conducted by Det. Sgt. Bob Beckmann. They include public social media postings, including Google and Bing searches. In addition, there is an extensive background required by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). There are also interviews with former employers and other persons who have knowledge of the candidate. Officers are then given a physical exam, psychological exam, and drug test prior to being hired. They are also fingerprinted for a full criminal background check and must pass a firearms qualification test. Following that, they are assigned a Field Training Officer and trained in Jupiter Inlet Colony procedures for 40 hours. During that time, they are introduced to the residents in the Town.