8 ARE STILL IN THE RUNNING TO BECOME S.L. POLICE CHIEF

The field of candidates for Salt Lake police chief has been narrowed to eight.

A nine-member citizen panel, appointed by Mayor Palmer DePaulis, has selected the finalists after reviewing resumes of 21 applicants. The panel is interviewing the final candidates and hopes to recommend one or two of them to the mayor by the end of the month, said Tina Hose of the city's personnel office.Hose would not name the candidates. "They've asked that it remain confidential until after the appointments." She said, however, that four are from within Utah and four are from other Western states.

Two of the candidates, the Deseret News has learned, are from within the Police Department: Maj. Sam Leaver and Acting Chief Ed Johnson.

Johnson took command following the retirement of Chief Bud Willoughby, who stepped down because of health problems.