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Less than two weeks before newly hired Florence Police Chief Shanon Gillette was to assume his new role in Florence, the Illinois resident has decided to back out of the appointment to remain in Illinois.
Citing the lifelong support networks that he and his family have in place in Illinois, Chief Gillette informed the Town on Wednesday that he wished to rescind his acceptance of the employment offer.
“We were certainly disappointed to hear of Mr. Gillette’s decision this week,” said Town Manager Brent Billingsley. “Having spent his entire career with the same agency has certainly created some long-standing ties that, it seems, were too difficult to break. Fortunately, we have many fantastic options available as far as recruitment, and I’m confident that we will have a qualified and capable candidate in place at the time of Chief Hughes’ retirement at the end of the year.”
In late October, the Town hosted a two-day interview process for five extremely well-qualified candidates for the Florence Chief of Police position. The candidates had a ‘meet and greet’ event at the Windmill Winery on October 24th and met before two separate interview panels on October 25th. The candidates also received a tour of the Police Department and learned about the many things Florence has done to secure the title as “Arizona’s Safest City.”
The Town expects to make an announcement in the coming week as it relates to its next Chief.
Current Chief of Police, Daniel Hughes, plans to retire as of December 31, 2019.