SCHERERVILLE | The town's next police chief could come from outside the department.

Police commissioners on Tuesday decided to open the search to internal and external candidates, although they have no immediate plans to hire a search firm to assist, Commissioner Kevin Connelly said.

The decision upset Patrolman Stephen Burton, president of Schererville FOP Lodge No. 170.

Burton said he thinks the department has enough qualified candidates that it should promote from the ranks.

"We have the resources within the department," he said.

The position will be advertised in the police station, in local newspapers and on Web sites for Indiana's Public Employees Retirement Fund and the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police, Connelly said.

The usual state requirements, such as minimum age and citizenship, apply. A minimum of five years of supervisory experience is necessary. The only outside preference the commission would like to see in a candidate so far is a bachelor's degree, Connelly said.

Resumes need to be sent via certified mail to a post office box that will be listed in the ad. The commission will accept resumes until Oct. 1.

The plan is to have a recommendation for a new chief by Jan. 1, Commissioner Ray Urchell said.

Urchell said he doesn't want the commission to be locked into that date.

Although it is important to fill the position in a timely manner, it needs to be done right, he said.

The goal is to make the process as transparent as possible, he said.

The Police Commission is a recommending body, and the Town Council is not required to hire a new chief based on the commission's recommendation. When the Town Council removed David Dowling as chief of police earlier this month, it did so without a recommendation from the Police Commission.