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Fayetteville police chief finalist for Kansas City job

Fayetteville police chief Tom Bergamine announced Friday that he is a finalist for a chief of police position in Kansas City, Mo.

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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Fayetteville police chief Tom Bergamine announced Friday that he is a finalist for a chief of police position in Kansas City, Mo.

"Although I thoroughly enjoy leading the men and women of the Fayetteville Police Department, this is an opportunity to bring the same successes that Fayetteville has experienced to the community in Kansas City," he said in a statement.

He praised his officers and the citizens for helping the city reduce its crime rate. He added that he won't be making any more comments, since the job selection process is under way. 

Fayetteville's violent crimes fell by 14.2 percent in 2010, including a 7.7 percent drop in so-called Part I crimes that include homicide, rape and robbery, according to statistics released in January. Property crimes fell 7.1 percent last year, and burglaries dropped 8.2 percent, figures show.

The Fayetteville Police Department also made news earlier this year after some residents accused officers of racial profiling.

In 2010, Fayetteville police made 38,595 traffic stops. Of those, officers searched 1,610 black drivers and 510 white drivers.

Hundreds attended a public forum on the issue in March, hosted by Bergamine. Despite numbers showing blacks were stopped and searched more, the chief said he didn't think any of his officers were racially profiling.

Bergamine was named Fayetteville's police chief in April 2007 after spending 29 years with the force. He worked his way through the ranks, making sergeant, lieutenant, assistant chief and finally chief. 

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