Belfield City Council conducts police chief phone interviews

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BELFIELD — The Belfield City Council did a second round of phone interviews with five candidates for the city’s police chief position at a special meeting Monday.

Councilman Harold Kubischta was unable to attend Monday’s council meeting at city hall, so city auditor Cindy Ewoniuk told each candidate the council would make a decision about the position after the whole council had a chance to review the responses at the Aug. 6 city council meeting.

Ewoniuk said all of the candidates would hear back whether or not they are offered the position.

Gathered in a back office at city hall with a few residents and a former Belfield police chief, Mayor Leo Schneider started off their questioning with the first candidate, who resides in Illinois by asking, “What made you decide to apply for a job so far from home?”

The council had previously offered the police chief position to Sidney Mann of Jamestown at its June 1 city council meeting.

Mann was offered a salary of $55,000 per year plus benefits.

But he decided not to accept the position when he was offered the position via phone the day after the meeting.

Other questions that the council and mayor presented to the applicants by the council during the several minute interviews with each applicant included:

Do you work well with other police officers?

Have you ever worked with schools and youth?

How do you handle conflict?

City Attorney Sandra Kuntz also questioned each of the police chief candidates about how they would handle domestic violence situations that they may be confronted with while on the job, and how they would work with victims.

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