Hunt for New Police Chief Roils Up the Past

A small but vocal group of participants turned an online Town Hall meeting on the hiring of a new police chief into a referendum on previous police department administrators and police shootings, many of which remain controversial to some in the community.

The meeting was conducted by Koff & Associates, a Berkeley-based recruiting firm. K & A Recruitment manager Frank Rojas moderated the meeting, assisted by Recruiting Supervisor Josh Boudreaux.

While most of the participants were reluctant to identify themselves during meeting, resident Margaret Starbuck pulled no punches as she responded to the question: “What priorities or opportunities or challenges facing the city today will the new chief have to address?’

“The new chief,” she began, “will need to address the fact that the Pasadena police department has quite a long history of racism and racially-biased policing, and particularly racial bias toward the Black community in Pasadena, which has led to officer-involved shootings with Black community members who’ve been killed by police officers.”

Starbuck continued, “I think one of the priorities would certainly be to address racial bias and racism in policing in the Pasadena police department.”

Starbuck referenced the 2020 shooting of Anthony McClain, saying that “the investigation into that shooting is still sort of in limbo.”

The officer in that shooting was not charged with a crime in an April 2022 decision. A report from District Attorney George Gascón’s Justice System Integrity Unit, said, “There is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Dumaguindin did not act in lawful self-defense” at the time he fatally shot McClain during a traffic stop on Aug. 15, 2020.

The City Manager’s Office will make the final decision on who would be the next chief.

The city has been without a full-time police chief since early January when then Police Chief John Perez left the city.

While the city is gearing up to interview qualified candidates, the position will not be filled until the City Council chooses the next City Manager.

The City Council is expected to begin interviewing City Manager candidates in June. In the meantime, former Cmdr. Jason Clawson will hold the position until the next chief is chosen.

Pasadena’s next police chief will make at least $233,525.00, according to a description on governmentjobs.com

The salary is in line with other police chiefs across the region.

Resident Michael Zelman said the next police chief should prioritize funding efforts on building a diverse workforce that is focused on the community rather than equipment.

For a resident named Yadi, the next police leader should make sure that the equipment that is being acquired by the department is impactful and effective.

She said the next police chief should also listen to concerns about the acquisition and the use of new technologies, including “surveillance equipment,” which she said could possibly impact communities of color.

Rojas also told the group that K & A would be preparing a report for the City Council and City manager’s office, but the report might be delayed, since the City Manager position. in Pasadena is also currently vacant. That search is being conducted by a different recruiting group, he said.

Members of the public who would like to provide input and feedback on the selection process can contact Frank Rojas, Recruitment Manager, Koff & Associates, at (510) 495-0448, or via email at frojas@koffassociates.com.