BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge mayor announced Wednesday her office is assembling a committee of community leaders who will help narrow down candidates for the next police chief.

On Friday, the list of potential new hires was narrowed from 24 to 21 after civil service test scores were released. Candidates must score 75 or higher to be considered for the job. The average score was 81. 

Now, all 21 candidates will be subjected to rounds of interviews with the mayor's hand-picked committee. The group will decide on five finalists and Mayor Broome will pick a chief from that batch.  

Read the full announcement below. 

Today Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced she will implement a committee to review candidates for the next Police Chief of the Baton Rouge Police Department.  

“The 2017 open and transparent search for the chief of police yielded great benefits in selecting a leader, along with understanding the community’s position on the pressing issues at that time. I believe this current search will be served well with the same approach,” said Mayor Broome. 

This committee will be a diverse group of individuals who are not only citizens and elected officials from the community but have had consistent and keen involvement with community and policing matters. The committee will review the candidates’ application package, interview candidates and recommend five finalists. These recommendations should be based on candidates who are experienced, progressive and visionary in their efforts to: tackle crime and continue the downward trajectory of violent crimes, utilize 21st century policing tactics, maintain and grow the force, embrace community involvement and display integrity and transparency.

Mayor Broome added, “I expect the candidates to be committed to ongoing reform and the completion of existing investigations.”

The committee’s recommendations will be taken under advisement with the understanding that the plan of government dictates, Mayor Broome will make the ultimate selection of the next Chief of the Baton Rouge Police Department.

The following individuals will serve on the Police Chief Review Committee:

• Mayor Pro Temp Lamont Cole
• Jennifer Carwile
• Michael McClanahan
• Rev. Charles DeGravelles
• Rev. Tommie Gipson
• Kathy Victorian
• Walt Green

Alternates:

• Eugene Collins
• Drake Brignac
• Jazzika Matthews

The public meetings will take place in the Metropolitan Council Chambers on the following dates:

• October 17^th at 4:00 pm
• October 23^rd at 5:00 pm
• October 26^th at 5:00 pm
• November 1^st at 4:00 pm (if needed)