Carter to stay on through October

On Tuesday, the Bishop City Council approved a temporary contract for retired Police Chief Chris Carter that will keep him on as a temporary Chief until the end of October.

City Manager Jim Tatum said a newly hired Lieutenant is expected to begin work on October 26 and will assume the duties of Interim Chief until a new Police Chief is hired.

The hiring process is expected to take four or five months.

The new Lieutenant is expected to be one of the applicants for the permanent post. Tatum did not reveal the identity of the new Lieutenant.

Tatum said Chief Carter did not participate in the interview process.

In his interim role over the next few weeks, Carter will be paid as a contract employee at the rate of $54.52/hour.

Tatum acknowledged that yes, Carter will be “double-dipping” – collecting a contract paycheck while he simultaneously collects a retirement check – but this is also of financial benefit to the city.

Typically, a chief, benefiits included, costs the city about $18,000/month.

In the contractual arrangement with Carter, the city will pay slightly more than half that number.

A source within the Bishop Police Department said the recruitment process for the new Lieutenant was not shared with the current staff.

“We don’t know anything about anything.”

The source added that Danny Nolan and Mike Mairs were appointed acting sergeants on Sept. 16 and then un-appointed without explanation as of October 1.

Seven of the eleven sworn officers within the department signed a letter of no confidence in Chief Carter last month.

Of the four who did not sign, one had been an employee for approximately one month, meaning he was a probationary wemployee who could be fired at-will. Another, Ron Gladding, was a probationary sergeant. A third, Brady Peek, is Danny Nolan’s brother-in-law and Councilmember Laura Smith’s son-in-law. The fourth was Nolan, described in the No Confidence letter as both a Carter pet/favorite and colleague in a separate, private business venture operated by Councilman Joe Pecsi.

The source said 10 of the 11 sworn officers would have signed the letter if they were free to do so.