Antioch City Manager Jim Jakel, with input from the City Council and residents, will be deciding whether to hire a new police chief from inside the department or whether to hire a search firm to look outside for the best candidates.
My answer is – search for a new police chief. By doing so we’d be assured of having a chief who has no alliances with current personnel and who brings a completely objective outlook to the job. Our recent Chief, Jim Hyde, brought to the table many new ideas, including the highly successful CAT team.
Back in 1991 Antioch was looking for a police chief. A city brochure asked for the following qualifications. (Regrettably, the city didn’t end up hiring from outside, choosing not only to promote from within but selecting for chief someone with no college degree and someone APOA was opposed to.)
Qualifications: Any combination of experience and education equivalent to 5 years of professional police experience with at least 3 years at command level and a Bachelor’s degree in police science, public administration or related field; Advanced Post Certificate, Post Management and/or Executive Certificate. Master’s degree desirable.
Ideal characteristics: A people-oriented leader who can establish sound working relationships with the City Council, Manager, staff and community and impart a sense of responsiveness and sensitivity, an effective manager who delegates both authority and responsibility appropriately and holds the organization accountable, a strategic rather than tactical thinker, one who is visionary, progressive and has exceptional long-range planning skills.
Competencies and Personal Characteristics: an effective listener, communicator/negotiator and team builder, accessible to the community, Council and employees, decisive once input has been received and viewpoints known and understood, a creative thinker, able to bring NEW solutions to traditional law enforcement problems, calm under pressure, good sense of humor, fair, unbiased, compassionate, utilizes non sworn personnel to provide support services to department, possesses a strong sense of professional and personal ethics and is adaptable to changes in community needs and issues.
Palo Alto was also seeking a Police Chief at the same time, using the search team Hughes, Heiss & Associations, Management Consultants. In addition to listing the qualifications and characteristics desired, they listed the following issues as needs to be addressed: How to increase department. morale (lower than desired due to various conditions), how to deal with the community’s changing demographics, how to approach the different crime and service needs which exist within the limited resources available.
Seems appropriate to note that Antioch has similar issues at this time, issues which are pertinent in the selection of a new Antioch Police Chief. Select one from the outside please.