Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus has put a new team in place that will work alongside him to lead the department.
Magnus named Capt. Chad Kasmar as deputy chief, a position that has been vacant since July 2015. Kasmar previously was Magnus’ chief of staff.
Kasmar has worked for the department for 16 years, climbing the ranks from patrol officer to commander and working in all divisions. His assignments have included being a negotiator on the hostage-crisis team, working undercover on the street-crime interdiction unit and overseeing internal affairs, now known as the Office of Professional Standards.
Civilian Michael Silva, who serves as the city’s legal advisor for the police department, will officially become chief of staff in January. Silva has worked as a prosecutor and in private practice. He also is a former military police officer.
Capt. Kevin Hall, who heads Operations Division Midtown, will become an assistant chief effective Nov. 27, said Kasmar. Hall will join Assistant Chief Ramon Batista, who currently is in charge of the field services bureau, and Assistant Chief Carla Johnson, who heads the administrative services bureau.
The assistant chief positions, which head bureaus, are in transition. Magnus explained he is eliminating one position — now there are three rather than four assistant chiefs. Four bureaus will be compressed to three and duties among staff will change.
“We have had to be creative because of budget cuts,” said Magnus, adding that as the department’s employees have had an increase in duties, his command staff must do the same.
Capt. John Leavitt, who was assistant chief of investigative services bureau, is now assigned to work with the Counter Narcotics Alliance, a multi-jurisdictional drug task force that consists of law enforcement and prosecution agencies.
Capt. Mark Timpf, who was assistant chief of the support services bureau, is now head of Operations Midtown Division, succeeding Hall.
