The town of Summerdale is seeking a new police chief, and there have already been applications sent in, Mayor David Wilson said.

“We are taking applications,” he said at Tuesday’s council work session. “We’ve received a lot. I haven’t been able to go through any of them yet”

The council had a special meeting on March 29 to authorize searching for a new chief.

“At our last meeting, (the council) approved to put out advertisements for a new chief,” Wilson said. “We’ve also included qualifications. It is all on (the town’s) website.”

The town will accept applications from prospective chiefs through April 30, and then the town will go to the next phase of the hiring process

“At the end of the month, (the council) will evaluate all of the resumés that come in and narrow them down to a select few that we feel like are the most qualified for the position,” Wilson said. “Then, we will call them in for interviews and make sure they meet the criteria for the position. Then, we will conduct a testing of the applicant similar to what the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department does. After that, it’s just a normal hiring process.

“We will probably have a series of workshops where we evaluate the resumés,” Wilson said, “and through that I or another council member will make a recommendation to the council, but the council will be part of this all the way through. From there, the council will vote on who to hire.”

The Summerdale Town Council unanimously voted on March 17 to terminate Police Chief Dwain Riebeling’s employment with the town.

The council conducted a hearing at the town’s Municipal Complex regarding Mayor David Wilson’s request for the termination of Riebeling’s employment with the town. The hearing was a closed-door meeting, and the council had a public meeting afterwards to vote on the matter.

The town of Summerdale released a letter on March 11 regarding why Wilson recommended to the council Riebeling’s termination. Riebeling received the letter on March 7.

The letter lists 14 reasons why Riebeling is being considered for termination, with accusations including: incompetence and inefficiency; inattention to duty; neglect of duty regarding a Nov. 9, 2010 incident; insubordination; and failure to conduct a proper investigation regarding a June 2010 shooting.

Summerdale does not have an interim police chief; but Lt. Tony Nolfe, of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, is helping oversee the town’s police department, Wilson said.

“I guess he’s the manager of the officers,” Wilson said. “He works closely with the officers and is the contact person for the officers if they need anything.”

In February, Wilson approached the sheriff’s office about issues with the effectiveness and size of the police department. There was mention of disbanding the town police department and leaving the area to the supervision of sheriff’s office deputies.

Baldwin County Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack was in attendance at the March 14 council meeting and spoke to the council and residents to clarify that the county’s role in the town’s policing is as a supplement to the town’s police department.

The council also voted 4-1 to terminate Corporal Quentin Bettner’s employment with the town. Wilson and Council members Myles Bishop, Gerald Hughes and Norma Giles voted to dismiss, while Councilman Travis Townsend voted against the action. Councilman Ralph Clopton abstained from the vote.

There currently are four police officers on staff in the town’s department, Wilson said.