The City of Independence approved and swore in its new Police Chief, Brian Ferayorni, at a special meeting Monday night.
Mayor Chris Reinersman characterized the event as a “very good day in the city of Independence.”
The meeting was packed with community members, police officers and staff, as well as members of the media, all eager to witness the ceremony. People crowded into the city building’s council chambers and gathered outside. Every space in the parking lot was occupied.
Ferayorni succeeds former Police Chief Tony Lucas, who retired at the end of June. The candidate pool consisted of three captains from the police department.
The process for vetting Lucas’ replacement was exceptionally thorough, complete with a round of interviewing from a community panel, anonymous surveys of the police department and a round of cognitive testing from a psychologist.
The community panel had representatives from various sectors of regional life. It consisted of Reinersman himself, City Administrator Chris Moriconi, city council member Chris Vogelpohl, City Attorney Jack Gatlin, Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette, local businessman Gary Holland and Dr. Melissa Moon, a professor of criminal justice at Northern Kentucky University.
For the final part of their vetting process, each captain was given interim command of the department for three weeks. This allowed the mayor, council and other city leaders to observe the candidates in action, not only in terms of how they handled the duties of the department but also in terms of how they could handle the expectations of being a city leader.
“It was a multifaceted process that lasted over two and a half to three months,” Reinersman said, adding that each candidate performed well during the evaluation process.
“Any one of them would have been a great police chief here in Independence,” Reinersman said.
Melissa Ferayorni, Brian Ferayorni’s wife, accompanied him and adorned the signs of his new rank upon his uniform.
At the end of the meeting, Ferayorni made a brief statement to the people in the chambers.
“I will do my best to do the best job I can do for all of you,” Ferayorni said. “Like I told my wife and my two boys, I do this for them, but I also do it for all of you guys. We’re all one big family here, and I really do want to do the best job that I can do for everybody here.”