When Deputy City Manager Robert Cheshire publicly posed questions to each of the three finalists he is considering for the job of Statesboro chief of police, one question stood out as particularly timely in light of national events.

At first, finalists Herbert Blake, Saundra Rhodes and Charles Sikes were sequestered in another room of Sea Island Bank so they couldn't hear one another's answers. They came out one by one to answer Cheshire's questions as a crowd approaching 150 people gathered in the lobby to meet them. The first question would have been asked any year: Why did they want the job and think themselves best qualified?

But the second question was a 2016 question: "In light of recent events across the country involving law enforcement, what are some of proactive steps that you would take as a chief of police to hopefully ensure that citizens aren't unnecessarily harmed and police officers are kept safe?" Cheshire asked.

Herbert Blake

"I think one of the most important things a police chief can do is set the right tone and culture in an agency," said Blake, 59, currently chief of police in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

After eight years and eight months there, he is "looking for a fresh new challenge" and would bring 16 years total experience as a chief to Statesboro. Blake has spent 24 years in law enforcement thus far, after 18 years in the Navy.

He has heard that many police chiefs and sheriffs say there is "some sort of war against police officers," but he will not foster or promote that kind of tone, he said.

"What it comes down to is, yes, we make mistakes, and we do have on occasions bad police officers that somehow get into the system and remain in the system, and when something bad happens, the first thing some police chiefs and sheriffs may do is circle the wagons and defend their officers' actions," Blake said. "I think any shooting, even if it's lawful, it's awful."

A police chief needs to be empathetic and listen to suggestions from people outside law enforcement, he said.

"When a community tells you that your approach, and your level of service, is not sufficient, you need to listen to them, and you need to make adjustments, and that's what I have done, and that's what I will continue to do, serving here or serving wherever I serve," Blake said.

"We do make mistakes, and sometimes we just need to own up to the mistakes we've made and take corrective actions," he added. "No parent wants to hear, 'Well, my officer followed the policy,' when they're burying their children."

Saundra Rhodes

Rhodes, 46, retired in May as chief of the Horry County Police Department in South Carolina, after more than 23 years with the department. It's based in Conway, the county seat, but the best-known city in Horry County is Myrtle Beach. She retired with plans to teach full time but has decided that she has a lot more to give in active law enforcement, she said.

She gave what she described as a two-prong answer, highlighting training and community relationships.

"I believe that training for law enforcement has to be a priority for all of us," Rhodes said. "I think that there have to be some concessions made on the part of law enforcement as well as on the part of the community."

Law enforcement officers, she said, must be leaders in their communities to solve problems that were not traditionally seen as law enforcement problems.

"Police officers are called to be psychologists, they're called to be marriage counselors, they're called to be parents, to talk to parents raising kids today," Rhodes said. "And we welcome those responsibilities, but I think we have to be prepared for those responsibilities as well."

She too acknowledged that police make mistakes.

"Police officers are human beings, and sometimes in making those split-second decisions, bad things do happen, and I think in order to mitigate that, law enforcement has to have a relationship with the community."

In her previous department, Rhodes took proactive steps to build community involvement, she said, mentioning ride-alongs by community leaders and relationships with the local ministerial alliance.

All of the finalists had an opportunity to meet with Statesboro Police Department officers earlier in the day.

"Now I will say, here in Statesboro, I see a lot of good things happening with the police department," Rhodes said. "I see the community coming by and dropping off cookies and dropping off water to the police department, so I think that we have a great foundation."

All three candidates have master's degrees related to law enforcement, and Rhodes is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Charles Sikes

Sikes, 70, retired in 2001 as special agent in charge of the Statesboro regional GBI office after 30 years with the bureau. A decorated Vietnam War veteran, he also served in the National Guard for 28 years, retiring as a colonel.

More recently, Sikes was the Bulloch County Probate Department's director for three years, filled in as Bulloch County clerk of courts for one year, and took assignments to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2008 until 2013 as a contracted law enforcement professional with the military.

But Sikes said he remains "not quite ready to retire" and is interested in the position because he feels he has something to contribute.

He mentioned training, equipment and enforcement of standards in his response to the question about protecting officers and the public.

"Policing in America is determined by the citizens of the community that they police," Sikes said. "The training of officers, the proactive part, just holding people accountable for their actions, if their actions are wrong ... equipment, body cameras, those types of things for peace officers are an integral part of policing in America today."

On the subject of body cameras, Sikes continued, "Because everybody else is recording what police do, so police need to record it as well, but body cameras are not in themselves the answer to policing in America.

"Thousands and thousands of people encounter and react to the police every day, in the nation, in this community, et cetera, and it's just those rare instances that occur that draw a lot of attention to them," he said.

Randy Wetmore, under contract to be Statesboro city manager beginning Sept. 1, also attended the "meet and greet" at Sea Island Bank and other activities with the police chief finalists. But Cheshire remains interim city manager through August, and he and Wetmore indicated that Cheshire will hire the police chief this month, in consultation with Wetmore and other city officials.

Herald reporter Al Hackle may be reached at (912) 489-9458.