BATON ROUGE - The Chief Selection Committee narrowed the search for the new BRPD police chief down to five candidates Thursday.

The committee selected BRPD Captain David Wallace, BRPD Sergeant and Training Academy Director Sharon Douglas, BRPD Deputy Chief Myron Daniels, BRPD Commander in Training Services Division Thomas Morse, Jr., and Thomas Glover, a list sent to Mayor Broome before she makes the final decision on who will lead the Baton Rouge Police Department. 

"We have interviewed some good candidates, some with experience with different aspects of law enforcement, so I am confident we can send five good candidates for the mayor to select," Mayor Pro Tem Lamont Cole said.

Cole has been leading the committee on this long process of finding a new chief.

It will likely take even longer now that the committee has decided that all 20 candidates will get an interview. But Cole says they will take their time in finding Murphy Paul's replacement, since Paul deferred his resignation until they name a new chief.

"It allows the mayor to take her time and get this one right," Cole said.

Right now, Cole believes there are some ideal traits the committee wants in the next chief.

"The issues are violent crime, choosing a leader with experience in the diversity of law enforcement areas, and one that can be fair and engage with the community," Cole said.

After the list was sent to her, the mayor issued the following statement Friday morning:

I express my gratitude to the Police Chief Candidate Review Committee for their meticulous and impartial evaluation of each candidate. I appreciate their willingness to serve the City of Baton Rouge, and will take their recommendations seriously as we move forward in the process of selecting our next Chief of Police.

It is of utmost importance that Baton Rouge's next police chief embodies the qualities of experience, forward-thinking, and a visionary approach to address crime, oversee the growth of our police force, foster community engagement and trust-building, and upholding the principles of integrity and transparency.

It was unclear when a chief would be officially selected.