Police chief selection
caps long search

By TIMOTHY YAGLE
The selection of William Corbett as
Ann Arbor's police chief culminated an
exhaustive three-month-long search
which involved the screening of nearly
150 applicants by a seven-member
selection committee.
City Administrator Terry Sprenkel, a
member of the committee, said there
were great differences in the quality of
the applicants to succeed outgoing
police chief Walter Krasny. He added
that some of the applicants for the
position did not even meet the
committee's minimum requirements
for the job.
THE COMMITTEE consisted of
Sprenkel, Mayor Louis Belcher,
Krasny, City Councilmembers Ken
Latta and James Cmejrek, Assistant
City Administrator Byron Marshall,
and Public Safety Director Glenn
Leonard-all of whom had equal input
in the decision making process,

Sprenkel said.
Marshall's duties involved holding
discussions with Corbett's colleagues
and superiors in Detroit, including
Police Chief William Hart and Mayor
Coleman Young. Marshall said it was
difficult to find anyone who would
criticize Corbett or had negative
comments about his job performance
as commander of Detroit's fourteenth
precinct.
Sprenkel said the committee looked
for certain qualities in the candidates.
After each committee section finished
interviewing the final four candidates,
"there was a high degree of consensus
(about the final choice)," Sprenkel
said.
The city administrator had nothing
but the highest praise for Corbett. One
police department employee, however,
said "I'm surprised they didn't pick
someone more liberal. To pick a guy
who is about the same (as Krasny
ideologically) is a little surprising."

Daily Photo by PAUL ENGSTRO
WILLIAM CORBE.TT_ D~ri.Plnnnrrt rrn+nn mrrn

own%

. wxn , , "roi ronce Department precinct commanaer,
was unanimously confirmed by City Council Monday night as Ann Arbor's
new Chief of Police, taking over the reigns from Walter Krasny.
a hDetroit police commander
six, destroys rooms
' ~named to top A2 post

(Continued from Page 1)
trouble sleeping. "If she hadn't decided
to come out of her room at that
moment," he said, "we might have had
more serious injuries."
The six fire-related injuries were
minor and included three cases of
smoke inhalation, one broken leg, and
two burn cases. On the whole, Foulke
said, the dorm residents were
evacuated without incident.
East Quad Building Director Lance
Morrow said he was pleased with the
manner the evacuation proceeded.
"There was virtually no panic," he
said. "The staff did a super job of
making sure everyone was out."
FOULKE EXPLAINED that it only
took 15 minutes for the building to be
cleared. "They (East Quad residents)
have had practice. When they hear that
alarm, they don't assume it's a false
one-their experience has been that it is
a real fire," he added.
Most of the evacuated residents were
sent to the School of Education, where
University officials had unlocked lob-
bies and stairwells so residents would
not have to stand outside. Others spgnt
the night with friends who lived nean-
by.
Actual property damage as a result
of the fire was confined to the third floor
of Prescott House. In a memo
distributed to East Quad residents later
on the day of the fire, Morrow noted
that "about 14 rooms received enough
damage to make them unoccupiable."
This damage took the form of burned
doors, electrical damage, and one
melted light fixture, according to
Prater. He added that light smoke
damage extended as far as 275 feet
away from the site of the fire.
EAST QUAD OFFICIALS have
begun enforcing stricter security
measures to prevent more fires,
Morrow said. "We've removed the
trash cans from the corridors at night;
we've given residents plastic bags and
asked them to keep trash in their


I -


rooms," he added. East Quad residen-
ts also had a "Resident Awareness"
program during study days and finals.
Participants in the program volun-
teered to study in the corridors during
the early morning to help keep an 'eye
on the hallways.
Other ideas that Morrow and his staff
are considreing for next fall include
taking the wood strips out of unused
phone booths and fireproofing them, or
boarding them up altogether. Morrow
has already had smoke detectors in-
stalled in these trash closets.
The University Security department
has stepped up its coverage of East
Quad as well. Nighttime security in the
building has been increased from one to
three guards, and the University's
"mobile security units" are making the
dorm part of their nightly rounds, ac-
cording to Foulke. "This will at least
insure that future fires will be dete6ted
early," he explained.
Damage clean-up should be com-
pleted by the end of the month, accor-
ding to Foulke. Completion of clean-up
on schedule would permit the Office of
Orientation to go ahead with their plans
to house 3;000 incoming freshpersons
who will be staying in East Quad begin-
ning June 15th. "At this point,
restoration is on schedule, so we are
going ahead with our program," said
Don Perigo, director of orientation.
The East Quad inferno was not the
biggest dorm fire the University has
suffered. According to Foulke, a fire
occurring several years ago at Markley
caused $50,000 worth of damage. The
fire was caused by a young man who "set
his room's trash can on fire, put it un-
der his bed, got out through the window,
and went for a walk in the Arb," he
said.

(Continued from Page 3)
post) with ease," Brawner said. "He's
a good administrator and a good police
officer. Plus, he's a gentleman."
Brawner concluded Corbett's move
will be Detroit's loss, and Ann Arbor's
gain.
THE CITY'S NEW police chief was
born in Ontario, Canada in 1932 and
became a naturalized American citizen
in San Francisco. He joined the Detroit
police force in 1954.
In 1974, Corbett was promoted to
Commander and selected to command

the police force in the 10 square miles
that make up the fourteenth precinct.
His career was marked by many depar-
tmental honors, including departmen-
tal, chief's, and commissioner's
citations, and a distinguished service
award from Detroit City Council.
Corbett is currently enrolled in the
Masters. program in Public Ad-
ministration on the University's Dear-
born campus.

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