After spending nearly five hours interviewing three finalists for Tucsonβs police chief job, the majority of the citizen advisory committee agreed that Christopher Magnus would be a good fit for Tucson.
Magnus is the police chief in Richmond, California, across the bay from San Francisco. The department is about one-third the size of Tucsonβs department.
However, during the post-interview discussion, almost every one of the 14 present members of the Citizen Police Chief Appointment Advisory Committee expressed disappointment in the lack of a local candidate.
One member of the committee, Francisco Morales, said he wanted to start the search process over.
βI donβt know if any of these guys could fit in with the department now,β he said.
Ortega said the committeeβs concern with the lack of a local finalist was an issue that went beyond this process.
βItβs an issue thatβs more systemic,β he said after the meeting. βItβs a function of our preparing our folks and making sure that they have the tools to advance.β
Two of the members preferred Malik Aziz, a Dallas deputy police chief, but the remaining 11 voiced support for Magnus.
βChris Magnus seemed to open my eyes and set my heart afloat. He has so many ideas and what he did in Richmond was astounding. There was trouble there and he hit it head on,β said committee member Missy Ortiz, mentioning how Richmondβs crime rate has dropped significantly under Magnus.
Several committee members said that the third candidate, Rick Gregory, seemed more like an administrator and had been out of law enforcement for too long.
All three candidates also interviewed with the cityβs executive leadership team and Tucson Police Officersβ Association and command staff.
Ortega will receive feedback from both other interviews before making his recommendation to City Council.
During the 30-day application window, 60 applications for the chief position were received and screened by the Police Executive Research Forum, a consulting firm hired by the city under a $43,000 contract. The firm narrowed the list down to 30, which were reviewed with City Manager Michael Ortega, who reduced the number to 15.
At that point in the process, one of the finalists dropped out, and th0e remaining 14 applications were sent to an internal panel made up of members of the County Attorney, County Prosecutor and Public Defenderβs offices and other organizations.
The panel selected five finalists, but one dropped out before the list was made public and another dropped out after, with Magnus, Aziz and Gregory making up the final three.
Each candidate had 90 minutes to answer the 14 questions selected by the committee, which covered a variety of topics, from experience policing diverse populations, improving department morale and community policing.
βWhen I got to Richmond, it was historically plagued by not very good race relations. There was a lot of police distrust,β Magnus said. βWe worked very hard to change that dynamic. We did outreach in neighborhoods and we listened. I think thatβs important.β
In light of last yearβs protest following the University of Arizona menβs basketball teamβs loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament, the committee posed a question about the candidatesβ experience with public demonstrations involving university students.
βI worked in Lansing near Michigan State University and when the basketball team is in the Final Four, it seems like win or lose weβve got a riot,β Magnus laughed, but went on to discuss how he worked with university police and another nearby department to ensure that the situation stayed safe.
βNo one agency can do this alone. These things were tough,β he said.
Aziz discussed his experience as the commander in charge of the presidential motorcade for the opening of the Bush Library in Dallas, saying that he headed up three days of visits by former presidents and other notables.
With none of the candidates being from Arizona, a question about TPDβs role pertaining to the SB 1070 immigration law was one of the first asked.
Gregory said that he was concerned about the effects of the law on both police officers and the community and that itβs vital to look at the training the officers receive.
βIf weβre charging police officers to go out and enforce aspects of this law every day, itβs imperative they have the support and training to do so,β he said.
It all comes down to treating people with respect, according to Magnus, but he said he understands that there are a number of fears and frustrations associated with the law.
βItβs about professional, caring service,β he said. βItβs OK to show compassion to people in different situations.β
