The city has begun the process of finding a new chief of police.
A job posting for Tucson’s new chief could be online in just a few weeks. The city hopes to present a profile for applicants at the beginning of August.
The City Police Chief Appointment Advisory Committee gathered Wednesday for its last meeting until October to discuss the recruitment and interview processes, and to begin talking about what the city needs from its new chief.
Chief Roberto Villaseñor, who has been chief for six years and a member of the department for 35 years, plans to retire in December.
The committee, made up of 15 members, will be offering suggestions to the city manager about what kind of qualities and experience they’d like to see in those applying.
The application window is expected to close at the end of August. Applicants will be screened by the Police Executive Research Forum, a consulting firm hired by the city under a $43,000 contract.
Assistant City Manager Martha Durkin said she anticipated hearing from about 20 qualified applicants. They would be narrowed down to three to five finalists.
Once the finalists are selected, the committee will have an opportunity to interview them and make recommendations to the city manager, who will make an appointment in early November.
Pending approval by the mayor and City Council, the new chief would begin serving Jan. 1, Durkin said.
A representative from the consulting firm started out the meeting by asking the group to talk about what the Police Department does well.
Strengths mentioned included included the collecting evidence and handling of domestic violence, but members soon began disagreeing with one another.
When it came to what they want to see in a chief, there was little to disagree about.
Ethics, transparency and community involvement were mentioned.
“I’d like to see diversity in the department that’s representative of the community,” said D. Grady Scott, pastor at Grace Temple Baptist Church.
Other suggestions were for a Spanish-speaker, and someone who values continuous learning and training for officers.
“I want to see someone who supports and embraces our immigrant community in policy and practice,” said board member Jennifer Allen.
Yolanda Herrera, a community advocate with the Police Department, said she’s spoken to a number of officers who say they want the new chief to be a “cop’s cop.”
“We need a leader who will embrace our officers and be cognizant of what they’re going through,” she said. “Someone who remembers what it’s like to be a beat cop.”
The names of the applicants will be kept private until the finalists are announced, so as not to jeopardize jobs the applicants have.
