Police Chief Search Will Soon Be Down to Finalists

The police chief search will be whittled down to three candidates this week.

Six semifinalists were interviewed by community and professional panels on Wednesday. 

According to previous comments by City Manager Miguel Márquez the panels will “provide the City Manager with important feedback to assist in final interviews. It is anticipated the selection of a new Police Chief would occur thereafter, sometime in mid-October or shortly thereafter.”

The names of the finalists will not be revealed due to possible personnel issues in other cities where candidates are currently working.

Pasadena’s next police chief will make at least $233,525.00, according to a previous listing on governmentjobs.com. The salary is in line with other police chiefs across the region.

The police chief’s starting starting date is undetermined at this time and could depend on a number of factors, including the selected candidate’s current employment situation.

The next chief will walk into a lion’s den of critics even before he starts the job.

Some local residents have called out on the City Council to cut the police budget and redistribute the funds to other departments.

The next police chief will also be the first to join the city with an independent police auditor and a police commission in place. 

The department is currently finalizing an administrative investigation into the actions of a police officer that fatally shot 31-year-old Anthony McClain during a police stop.

The City has been searching for a police chief since John Perez resigned at the end of last year.

Márquez choosing a new police chief continues a local trend, each of the last two City Managers chose new police chiefs during their time at City Hall.

Michael Beck chose Philip Sanchez and Steve Mermell hired John Perez. 

“Our goal is to have the new Chief in place as soon as possible,” Márquez said. “This process, as most executive search and interview processes, is confidential given that, among other things, applicants do not want to negatively affect present employment by having it known they are applying for a job elsewhere. While we believe in transparency, there are times when it is outweighed by privacy and other public policy interests.”