And while the dean said that having a minorityin the administration improves the police's imagein the community, the choice of the new chiefshould be based on talent.

"We must look for talent...it is the bestassurance," Epps said. "I do not favor an ethnicrequirement; we must be open to any person."

The best way to assure the best pool ofcandidates is to actively seek out qualifiedindividuals, according to Epps. "We need to findsomeone who is happy in their current job andpersuade them to come," the dean said.

While specific candidates have not beenannounced, Harvard police Lt. John F. Rooney saidhe may very well vie for the post.

"It's a very demanding job," Rooney said. "Youreally have to be a dedicated sincere individualand extremely flexible."

After Johnson, Rooney and Lt. Lawrence J.Murphy are the department's two top rankingofficers and the most viable internal candidates.

Murphy could not be reached for commentyesterday.

Victor T. Chen contributed to the reportingof this story.