Suddenly thrust into a job for which he is well-prepared, former Assistant Chief Medaria Arradondo is now the acting head of the Minneapolis Police Department. Just after Mayor Betsy Hodges asked for and received former Chief Janeé Harteau's resignation, she nominated Arradondo for the post. Now she is asking the City Council to confirm her choice.

Should the council agree, the veteran officer would serve the remaining 17 months of Harteau's three-year term. But the council shouldn't rush to make the appointment. It should confirm Arradondo as acting or interim chief and allow next year's city leaders to conduct a wider search.

That doesn't mean that Arradondo is a poor choice. The Minneapolis native joined the department in 1989 as a North Side patrol officer and since has held a variety of leadership positions — including heading internal affairs and the downtown First Precinct and serving as chief of staff. Earlier this year, he was named assistant chief. He is well-liked and respected by many officers and members of the community. A decade ago, he and three other high-ranking black officers successfully sued the department for discrimination. With his record, he likely would be among the top candidates to emerge from an extensive search.

But in a city that has deep concerns about police-community relations, it makes sense to cast a wider net for the next chief. Following the officer-involved shooting deaths of Jamar Clark in 2015 and Justine Damond on July 15, thousands have demonstrated to question police use of deadly force and many citizen forums have been held on policing and public safety.

It's possible that the November election will bring change to the City Council and the mayor's office. Holding off a few months before naming the next chief would allow those who take office in January to be involved in the selection.

As an appointee of the current administration, Arradondo may be perceived by some as continuing the status quo at a time when the community clearly wants change. By prevailing after going through a vetting process with other top candidates, he could outline his own vision for the department and his credibility would be enhanced.

Hodges and some council members believe that the department needs stability and that doing a search would put necessary changes on hold for at least a year. In their view, Arradondo is the best choice to carry out some of the reforms that the mayor and Harteau have begun, including improved officer training and building a more diverse force. Yet all of those efforts could continue under an interim chief — especially one trying to demonstrate how well he can handle the job. We saw that Wednesday, when Arradondo announced that officers must activate their bodycams whenever they respond to a call.

Depending upon how long it would take the newly elected council and mayor to conduct a search, it's possible Arradondo could be on the job until the end of 2018 anyway. But between now and the end of a credible search, he should continue as interim chief.