Rick Hite was appointed to interim police chief on Tuesday after former Chief Paul Ciesielski’s resignation following the mishandling of evidence in a high-profile case involving a suspended IMPD officer.

Hite spent 32 years with the Baltimore Police Department in Maryland and has worked as a consultant in Indianapolis, RTV6's Rafael Sanchez reported.

Despite Hite’s experience, he’s not certified to work in Indiana, officials said.

Mayor Greg Ballard's spokesman Marc Lotter said that Ballard still believes that Hite is the right man for the job and that he has a year to obtain a waiver in place of the certification.

“Mayor Ballard believes that Hite is the right man to move IMPD forward. If (Hite) can get the paperwork completed, we’ll get that taken care of,” Lotter said.

Indianapolis public safety officials said that until Hite receives certification in the Hoosier state or a waiver, an assistant police chief will take over the position.