Belfield police chief resigns; new chief hired
Belfield has a police chief.
Belfield has a police chief.
Officer Richard Carney, who has been with the Belfield Police Department for two years, accepted the position after the Belfield City Council voted unanimously to hire him at a special meeting Wednesday at the Belfield Memorial Hall.
“It’s a big responsibility,” Carney said. “I’ll just have to do the best I can, and I’ll be looking to other people with the same responsibilities for guidance.”
Chief Joseph Schmidt resigned from his position. Monday is his last official day, which is when Carney will take over.
A job opportunity came along Schmidt wanted to pursue, he said. Though he wasn’t looking for another job, he said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Council member Jeff Iverson said Schmidt was going to work in the oil field. The council accepted his resignation regrettably Monday at their regular meeting, but they wanted to be on top of hiring a replacement.
“We were sad to see (Schmidt) leave,” he said. “We are confident with (Carney’s) abilities, and we are happy to have him.”
Schmidt said he will continue to work part-time for the Belfield Police until it is fully staffed.
The city will advertise to hire at least one more officer.
Council members suggested that starting pay be around $38,000 a year depending on experience. Iverson said the wages should catch the attention of applicants since housing was hard to find in Belfield.
A three-month evaluation would be conducted for the officers hired to determine a pay raise.
Carney would like to have a three-man force, he said.
Tags: police chief, richard carney, joseph schmidt, jeff iverson, news, belfield
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