Chief Is a Finalist for Post in Charlotte, N.C.
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SOUTH PASADENA — Police Chief Michael Berkow is one of two finalists vying to lead the Charlotte Police Department.
Berkow, 44, who took over as South Pasadena’s chief in July 1997, confirmed Tuesday that he is a candidate to become police chief of Charlotte, N.C.. He declined to comment further.
Charlotte officials have narrowed the field to Berkow and St. Petersburg City Administrator Darrel Stephens, sources said.
A lawyer and former firefighter, Berkow took over as chief in the wake of a department sex scandal and an FBI probe into charges that police officials covered up an officer’s involvement in a hit-and-run accident.
In two years, he has rebuilt the small, affluent community’s department that was in such disarray that there was no procedure for citizen complaints.
His resume includes several assignments for the U.S. Department of Justice including Somalia, where he helped create a police force, and Haiti, where he also helped to restore law and order to a country in strife.
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