BATON ROUGE - BRPD Chief Murphy Paul is delaying his exit from the department as the city's search for his replacement drags on. 

Paul, who was set to officially vacate the position at the end of the week, will stick around until a new chief is named, a source told WBRZ.

As of Wednesday, the city-parish is still interviewing its more than 20 candidates. 

Mayor Sharon Weston Broome's office released the following statement Wednesday.

"Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced that Chief Murphy Paul will be extending his service at the Baton Rouge Police Department beyond his previously scheduled retirement date of November 3, 2023 to support a thorough evaluation of candidates and a smooth transition to the next appointed police chief.

The deadline to appoint a new chief is 60 days after the seat is vacated per RS 33:2494G"

Paul announced in July that he planned to leave the job on Nov. 3.

"When I took this job I prayed," Paul told Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto at the time. "I prayed to take the job, and I had to pray to leave the job. It's a process and one I did not take lightly. A lot of prayer and thought went into it. It's time."

You can watch the full interview here

Since announcing his resignation, Paul and the department have fallen under scrutiny amid an investigation into use-of-force complaints against BRPD, namely the use of its "Brave Cave" interrogation site. Tension surrounding the investigation boiled over as at a metro council meeting last month, where Chief Paul lashed out at some members of the council.

The outburst prompted some council members to demand he resign prematurely. In response, Paul apologized for his demeanor at the meeting but doubled down on his message.

"No matter what I said — and let me be clear everything I said in there was facts — there's still some who only see an angry Black man," Paul said days after the meeting. "I don't apologize for my passion."