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GREENSBORO - The official search for a new police chief may begin as early as mid-October, a top city leader said.

City Manager Mitchell Johnson said he is holding meetings with officers to discuss the qualities they want in future leadership. Johnson said Friday that he plans to develop criteria that candidates must meet to be considered.

"You want to know what you're advertising for and what your position is going to be on certain issues, and what you're key concerns are," he said. "It's a very critical decision. It's not something you do quickly."

He declined to discuss his specific issues or concerns.

A national advertisement for applications could be out within weeks, Johnson said. From that point, the search may take as long as six months to review resumes, conduct interviews and make a final choice.

Other decisions to be made are whether the city will hire a consulting firm for assisting in the search and how interview panels will be organized.

"It sounds slow, but there's a lot of interviewing, and it depends on how large your candidate pool is," he said.

The public will have a chance to voice opinions about the qualities a chief should possess. Johnson said community forums will be scheduled for different parts of the city and that a committee will be appointed to offer impressions of candidates who interview.

Regardless of Johnson's ultimate selection, the new chief will confront lingering tensions from a scandal that ended in January with the resignation of former Chief David Wray.

Wray and members of his administration were accused of targeting black officers for unfair internal investigation by a unit dubbed the "secret police." While the Special Intelligence Section was designed to monitor gangs and hate groups, some detectives engaged in covert operations against black colleagues accused of misconduct.

White officers, meanwhile, were investigated through traditional means, with Internal Affairs and criminal detectives investigating alleged misconduct. A confidential report by the City Attorney's Office and a Raleigh consulting firm concluded Wray "crippled" the department by his actions.

Assistant Chief Tim Bellamy was named interim chief in the hours after Wray's resignation. He has declined to say whether he will apply for the job.

"There's a lot of desire on the part of the department to move on ... and not spend a lot of time talking about what happened at this point a year ago," Johnson said of his recent conversations with officers. "Understandably, they're concerned about the negative impact they have to deal with out in the field as a result of some of the things that have happened and the media coverage."

Contact Eric J.S. Townsend at 373-7008 or etownsend@news-record.com