New London — Deputy Police Chief Peter Reichard is vying for the police chief’s job in Fargo, N.D., according to a published report.

Reichard, who recently completed a 10th-month stint as the New London’s acting police chief while Chief Margaret Ackley was on paid administrative leave, is among 13 candidates for the Fargo post, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported.

Currently on vacation, Reichard did not immediately respond to a message left on his cellphone.

Ackley, responding to email, wrote, “We do not comment on personnel issues.”

Officer Todd Lynch, president of the New London police union, said Reichard’s bid for the Fargo job was “news to me,” but added that it didn't come as a complete surprise.

“That would be another in a long list of blows to the police department,” he said of a potential Reichard departure. “He’s liked and respected. It poses the question we’ve posed over and over again: Why are people continuing to leave here — now as high up as deputy chief?"

Lynch said he had daily dealings with Reichard while the deputy chief was serving as acting chief.

“It’s been rough here but, for that 10 months, things were running very smoothly,” Lynch said.

According to the report on The Forum’s website, INFORUM.com, the field of candidates for the Fargo chief’s job includes several high-ranking police officials from around the country, a United Nations worker, a lead inspector for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and a former assistant FBI director.

The only internal candidate so far, David Todd, the Fargo department's interim chief, was appointed to his current post in November after Chief Keith Ternes resigned in the face of criticism from officers upset with his management style, The Forum reported.

Fargo police serve a city of about 110,000 people. The police department has an authorized staffing level of 156 sworn officers and about 178 total personnel, the city’s website says.

New London’s department is staffed well below its authorized level of 80 officers.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com

Twitter: @bjhallenbeck