Three people have applied for the vacant position of police chief in the city of Charleston, City Clerk Ana Ealy said Tuesday, just minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline to submit an application.
Notice of the vacancy was posted last week on exterior doors and an interior bulletin board at Charleston City Hall but was not advertised in the newspaper, a break from tradition. In addition, the window for prospective applicants was unusually small. Normally, weeks, not days, are allowed.
The Charleston Board of Commissioners has a budget hearing scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 14) in the City Hall courtroom, and Ealy said the police chief may be a topic of discussion once the budget business has been concluded.
It was just over one week ago, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, that the board voted unanimously to fire then chief Luther Folson Jr., effective immediately.
The 46-year-old Folson served in the role since Jan. 1 after being promoted to succeed longtime chief John Page, who retired Dec. 31.
Folson, who was employed with the Charleston Police Department since November 2015, was placed on suspension Aug. 31 pending a disciplinary hearing held on the same day he was fired. The reason for the suspension was not made public.
On Sept. 5 Ward 3 Commissioner Tawanda Shannon made the motion, seconded by Ward 4 Commissioner Sandy Smith, to fire Folson.
A letter of termination written to him, a copy of which was obtained by The Sun-Sentinel, referenced, but did not list, “various allegations” against Folson. As for his firing, the letter stated, “The board felt that the direction of the department needed to change.”
None of the parties has been willing to say much publicly.
“Mr. Folson knows what the allegations were and the reason for his termination,” said Shannon. “If he wants to share that, that is his right.”
Folson’s only public statement to date came in a Saturday text message to The Sun-Sentinel: “I want to thank all the people in Charleston who supported what I was trying to do, make it even across the board with equal justice for everyone. I have met some really good people, and I feel really honored to have been a part of your city for the past two years. Thank you.”
