Top candidate for Buckeye PD chief withdraws

Buckeye's national hunt for a police chief is starting over after the leading candidate had second thoughts.

Phoenix police Cmdr. Frank Milstead withdrew his application this week. He had received unanimous support from Buckeye's selection committee.

"I was very disappointed when I found out," said Buckeye resident Craig Heustis, who served on the committee. "The man was more than qualified. He would have made an outstanding police chief."

Various selection panels, made up of department heads, residents with law-enforcement backgrounds and Surprise's police chief, helped with the five-month search to replace Dan Saban. He retired in May to run for Maricopa County sheriff.

Milstead said he had begun talks with Town Manager Jeanine Guy about potential start dates but was never offered a formal contract.

"I really wanted this to work out. I was very excited about the opportunity," he said. But "they kept dragging their feet. . . . To me, it was a red flag."

The 23-year Phoenix police veteran was chosen as one of four finalists in late June.

"We wish him well as he continues (his) stellar career," Guy said in a statement Wednesday.

Buckeye will post the position again in September, repeating a selection process that drew more than 100 applications in the spring.

"This is an extremely important position in Buckeye's future," Guy said.

The town eliminated its other top candidate in late July after finding "inconsistencies" in Chicago police Lt. Ernest Brown's background.

The remaining two finalists must reapply to continue to be considered, Guy said. They are police chiefs J.C. Burch Jr. of Mount Pleasant, Texas, and Russell York of Fort Wayne, Ind.