Raleigh, N.C. — A forum is scheduled Thursday night for the public to hear from the two finalists for the Raleigh police chief position, but some officers already had an opportunity to hear from the candidates.

Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen has narrowed the field of potential candidates for the city's top cop down to Kent Sholar, a 24-year veteran with the department, who is also currently the interim police chief, and Henry Patrick Dolan, chief of the Grand Rapids, Mich., Police Department.

Many of the department's 746 officers heard from both candidates at a forum Thursday at City Hall. They asked both men about their desire to lead the department, their experience and their views on communication and training.

"Raleigh is a very safe city and it's because of the work you all do everyday, but I am really looking forward to the opportunity to lead this police department as we keep progressing," Sholar said.

"To have been a member of this police department as a recruit and then worked on the road and to have now come back, to be in this forum today is quite a honor," Dolan said. "To be back here in Raleigh will be an exciting opportunity for me."

The new police chief is expected to make anywhere from $93,113 to 149,223. Former police chief Jane Perlov, who left Raleigh to take a security position with Bank of America in Charlotte, had a salary of $139,832 at the time of her departure.

The hiring will ultimately be up to Allen, but the officers were given evaluation forms to offer feedback about the two candidates.

The public will also get a chance to weigh in on the hiring at a forum, starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at City Hall. Those who attend will also get a form to evaluate both candidates.