Anyone who wishes to apply for the vacant police chief position in Charleston — a position that just became open a few days ago — had better do so by next Tuesday, Sept. 12, the deadline set by the Charleston Board of Commissioners for accepting applications.
In a break from the usual practice by the city, the city board will not be advertising in the newspaper that they are seeking applications for the freshly vacant police chief position or allowing a reasonable amount of time for seeking applicants. In fact, the window for prospective applicants to throw their hat into the ring is unusually small.
A notice posted on the front door and on a bulletin board inside Charleston City Hall on Thursday read: "NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR POLICE CHIEF. JOB POSITION CLOSES ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2017. Please bring your I.D. and Social Security card upon returning your application."
Former chief Luther Folson Jr. was fired by the board Tuesday night. Commissioners have not publicly stated a reason for the termination, but The Sun-Sentinel has learned that Folson was confronted with multiple allegations.
According to the minutes of the Sept. 5 city board meeting, Ward 3 Commissioner Tawanda Shannon made the motion, seconded by Ward 4 Commissioner Sandy Smith and approved with a 5-0 vote, to notify Folson of their decision to fire him.
Later in the meeting, Sandy Smith made a motion, seconded by Ward 2 Commissioner Lloyd Smith and approved with a 5-0 vote, to advertise for the police chief position.
The 46-year-old Folson, of Water Valley, had been employed with the Charleston Police Department since November 2015. He was the successful one of several Charleston officers considered for promotion to the position of chief when longtime police chief John Page announced that he was retiring from the force at the end of 2016. Folson was promoted to chief in November 2016 by a unanimous vote of the city board.
In July 2017, four new board members were sworn into office in Charleston — only Ward 5's Perry Herron was re-elected — and the conversation apparently soon changed to the police chief's position.
At an unusual noontime special meeting of the city board on Aug. 31, called to address "police matters," according to the minutes, commissioners voted unanimously to place Folson on paid suspension pending a pre-termination employment hearing the following Tuesday night.
Asked Friday about the matter, Charleston Mayor Sedrick Smith said Folson's role with the city was "something we had been working on for several board meetings and it just came to a head." He did not elaborate.
Folson met with the board Sept. 5 to address the allegations against him. The face-to-face gathering, part of the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the board at City Hall, took place out of public view in executive session.
So far, none of the parties has been willing to comment publicly on the matter.
Folson's termination letter dated Sept. 5, a copy of which has been obtained by The Sun-Sentinel, did not offer any clues, noting simply, "The board felt that the direction of the department needed to change."
