MUSKEGON, Mich. — Muskegon is down to two finalists for the chief of the Public Safety Department for the second time this year. On Thursday night, they met with the community to share their plans.
Both candidates have different backgrounds.
Tim Kozal is the current chief of the Ludington Police Department.
"I've had a very, very nice career," says Kozal. "I've loved everything I've done. I've always done everything with ethics and integrity."
Derrick Turner is the chief of police for the Mobile Airport Authority in Alabama.
"I had that diverse experience when it comes to policing, which I appreciate, because it gives me an opportunity to really think outside the box when we talk about tackling challenges," says Turner.
They each believe their backgrounds will help bring a breath of fresh air to Muskegon.
Kozal highlights a desire to not only hire new officers, but keep them long term.
"If you get people that are local, homegrown, you won't have any problem with retention," explains Kozal. "And that's what another big problem is, retaining good police officers and good firefighters."
Meanwhile, Turner looks to use his past to focus on the job's service aspect.
"No matter what we do it's all about customer service," says Turner. "But that's so much more highlighted in aviation, airport law enforcement. So being able to use those experiences and those ideas to to really tackle municipal problems, I think its gonna be great."
Both men have put a spotlight on communication being a key point of the position, with Kozal specifying within the department itself, as the job oversees both fire and police.
"Let's make this 50-50, not 80-20, not 70-30," says Kozal. "What I mean by that is, I'm there with both departments. I'm showing the love to both departments, you know, it's not always the fire department, it's the team."
Turner instead refers to communication with the public.
"If you haven't made the deposits in that goodwill bank, and you go to make a withdrawal, you're going to look negative, it's too late," says Turner. "So it is so important to have relationships."
The candidates also had interviews Thursday with city leaders and other stakeholder groups. Muskegon has not given a timetable on when the job will be offered to either candidate.
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