Community leaders have narrowed the candidate pool for public safety director to four, with a final selection expected by Thanksgiving.

Scott Newman, the former safety director who is heading the selection committee, would not name the finalists but said they are “all experienced public safety administrators.” At least one is from out of state.

The committee drew 125 applicants, including academics, sheriffs and deputy public safety leaders in other cities, some of whom, Newman said, are well-known names in the public safety realm. The city appealed to some candidates to apply and raised the maximum annual salary from $98,000 to $123,000 to help attract new talent.

“It’s been an embarrassment of riches in terms of the applicant pool,” Newman said. “Indianapolis has come of age — at least in law enforcement — where people with good reputations are interested in working here.”

The new director will step into the role at a critical time, as several key initiatives started by Newman have yet to be completed, and the city is on track to end the year with fewer than 100 homicides — something credited to a push for community policing over the past couple of years.

Newman stepped down in July, mainly because of his struggle with Parkinson’s disease.

His successor will determine whether the public safety director, who oversees the city’s Police and Fire departments along with agencies such as Animal Care and Control and Emergency Management, remains a policymaker or becomes an administrator, as the position has the potential to be.

The new leader also will determine the direction of a department that stands on the cusp of some important transformations.

Among them is the push for community policing, an approach Newman has defined as allowing police officers to solve problems rather than simply respond to runs. The concept has been embraced by faith and neighborhood leaders and has been recognized as a factor in curbing the city’s violent crime.

“I hope the new safety director has that on his radar as one of his focuses,” said the Rev. Richard Willoughby, pastor of Promise Land Christian Community Church, who is helping to lead a task force to promote diversity in the Police and Fire departments. “Leaders having an open door to the community can change the relationship between the community and police.”

Another important task will be retaining morale among fire and safety personnel, and it could be a tall order in the year ahead.

The director will be charged with finding a way to provide the Police and Fire departments with adequate resources despite a budget constrained by property tax caps and a down economy. And the new leader must press forward with potentially thorny issues such as merging additional township fire agencies with the Indianapolis Fire Department and negotiating union contracts.

William Owensby, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, said that for both of those reasons, finding someone who is familiar with the departments and can quickly command respect will be important.

“If it’s someone from out of state, they’re going to have a pretty tough, uphill battle in proving themselves in the eyes of either department,” Owensby said. “It’s going to be important that they get someone who has some sort of history with the city.”

But Pat Andrews, vice president of the Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations, said someone with an outside perspective could bring new ideas for reducing crime rates. She said she’d like to see a director who understands best practices in other cities and can use what’s applicable here.

Whether a new face or an insider is chosen, many also hope the new director can carry on important initiatives started under Newman.

Among them are efforts to root out corrupt police officers and improve the quality and diversity of police and firefighters.

The new director will be responsible for rolling out a nearly completed plan for handling the second part of that mission, which, Newman said, could bring some of the most transformative changes for the public safety agencies.

Some leaders also challenge the new director to focus on broader efforts. Mary Moriarty Adams, a Democrat on the City-County Council and a longtime public- safety advocate, said it’s important for the new director to remember that the mission of public safety is broader than crime.

She said she’d like to see a push for funding forensic services, whose smooth operation affects the courts’ efficiency and, therefore, the crowding level at local jails.

Newman said any of the four finalists would be well-suited to take on the challenges that lie ahead. Interviews with the six-member committee of city and public safety leaders and Mayor Greg Ballard will help determine the final selection.

An ideal pick, Newman said, would be a person who brings people together; shows strength more than toughness; and doesn’t micromanage.

“The best thing they can do is to be a convener,” he said. “It’s someone who has the experience and respect to get people in a room to work together in new ways.”