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Lt. Danny Fish is the current interim chief of the Petaluma Police Department. (PD File)
Petaluma residents looking to have input in the selection of their next police chief have two avenues for making their preferences known: a Town Hall meeting and an online survey.
For the first time, the city has sought comments and suggestions from the local citizenry in picking its top cop.
Those wanting to comment anonymously can log on and register their feelings in an online survey.
Or for those interested in a more personal give-and-take, the city is hosting a Town Hall meeting next week with the recruiting firm hired to evaluate the applicants.
The hiring decision technically is City Manager John Brown’s alone, but recent controversy over the police department’s interim chief and his second-in-command prompted Brown to widen the selection process to include the public.
Wes Herman from the recruiting firm Bob Murray and Associates will conduct the meeting, at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the City Council chambers.
Brown said there will be other community outreach as well, including conversations with city employees and community leaders over the next few weeks.
They will be asked “about their perspectives on ideal characteristics and qualities of the next police chief, the issues with which they should be concerned and the opportunities and challenges facing the city and the Police Department now and in the future,” he said.
Through that process, the recruiting firm will narrow down the list of candidates and forward them to Brown.
One or two members of the public will be asked to participate as panel members for final candidate interviews.
Lt. Danny Fish is the current interim chief, a seat he’s filled for three years. Initially the temporary appointment was to be for a year or slightly more. But the city saved about $600,000 in salary and benefits during that time since Fish’s captain’s job was unfilled.
Controversy arose last year when Fish recommended the the city eliminate the captain’s position held by Dave Sears, Fish’s second-in-command and his only competition in 2009 for the temporary chief’s position. The effort, which was approved by the City Council, resulted in Sears’ demotion to lieutenant with a salary cut of about $35,000.
The move generated a groundswell of support for Sears and stirred up gossip about an extramarital affair Fish acknowledged having with a Police Department employee he has since married. She no longer works in the Police Department.
Brown said the city investigated allegations of dishonesty and possible violations of city policies on personal relationships between co-workers, but found no evidence to prove Fish lied.
Still, some have said a change is needed because of questions about Fish’s integrity.
Because of the lingering discomfort, Brown said he wanted to make the chief selection more transparent.
Councilman Mike Healy said his main concern is finding a chief to guide the department through continuing budget difficulties. He said Fish and Sears are both strong candidates, and there may be others from outside the department.
“I’m not looking for a particular result. I just want the best person to lead the Police Department in these challenging times,” he said. “I’m very concerned that the morale of the department is fragile, based on all the funding challenges we have.”
The chief’s position pays between $150,000 and $180,000 annually to manage 62 sworn officers and about 30 support staffers. Brown said he hopes to have a new chief this summer.
The survey can be found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S9WGL6R
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Why do we spend the badly needed $20,000 to look for a police chief when Capt. Sears is the obvious man for the job? I’ve seen him at close range; he’s honest, responsible and a born leader. His integrity is unquestioned so let’s not waste time and money to find someone outside who’ll have to learn the job and learn about Petaluma. This is a typical political two-step to duck responsibility for hard decisions, all too typical of what passes for leadership in our struggling city. It stinks, and it has to stop….NOW.
Do you think they will read these comments? They will do just as they please.
Public comments? LOL
Whoever is named chief, we sure hope that the racism and profiling against certain Petaluma youth ends. We hope that through additional training and school visits, the Petaluma police will trust students of all ethnicities over random calls from the public that try to target or ensnare the innocent diversity of our town. Better luck!
The issue that the Press Democrat and the commenters here are missing is Petaluma’s leaders being unwilling to make the hard decisions. The pretext of “public input” is Octopus ink. A decision has already been made. The “public input” is the excuse for the decision. They probably had decided to go one way but when the moral character of one candidate was in doubt, our weasly Petaluma leaders just don’t have the courage to make the decision without blaming the public for it.
At least they didn’t hire another $100,000 employee to study the issue or pay some research agency. This time, they are going the cheaper route of letting the public fill the role.
Bad leadership. From top to bottom, Petaluma has bad leadership. They’ll hire another POG to “lead” Petaluma no matter what the public might say.
Another thought: just let the Sheriff, an elected official, run Petaluma’s law enforcement show. We all know how the Sheriff runs his Department & if ever there come a time when the electorate becomes displeased then the remedy is simple: elect a different Sheriff.
In Los angeles County two desert cities–Palmdale and Lancaster– adjacent to one another with a population of 150,000 each and an aggregate population of 300,000 plus are policed by the Sheriff & the citizens there seem perfectly happy with that arrangement–response times to calls for help are fast & criminals do not go uncaught.
The Sheriff is the Chief Law Enforcement officer in a County; that’s why he wears five stars on his uniform & a Police Chief only four.
But best of all, if the electorate becomes unhappy it can elect someone else. Much tidier than what we now see occurring in Petaluma.
I am surprised Petaluma doesn’t call the position the “Peace Chief.” Why would the city council arm its police? Why aren’t the police mediators, not enforcers?
The Petaluma peace department should be counciling and working collaborative with the less fortunate but well meaning people who may misunderstand the rules about property and striking out in a hostile manner against others.
Lets have a new day in Petaluma and move away from the dark days of the violent past.
These should be the goals for the new peace chief. I know many on the council approve of this new path especially Councilman Tiffany Rene and Mayor Glass.
Make it happen.
I would not at all be surprised if the comments left by “Petaluma’s Chief” were in fact written by “Petaluma’s Interim Chief”. Having worked with Danny Fish for years, I feel uniquely qualified to call his character into question… wholeheartedly agree with Don and Pennylee… Dave Sears is the right guy for the job!
Integrity?FISH has none.Anybody but FISH.
$180 K plus benefits and $100 a year pension to manage a few people who apparently should know what they are doing……outrageous
Dave Sears IS local and knows the job. He has more integrity and honesty than most. Dave would not lie, step on or over someone, or take credit for someone else’s work just to make himself look good. Dave will bring peace and team work to the Department, and he will always look out for Petaluma’s best interests. The other responder is right. It IS time to move on and get this position filled now. And Dave Sears is the only man qualified to fill it!
Hire local AND and man of integrity. Dave Sears is that man!
cut the wage by 30% and hire local.
The City has been unethical about this process for a long time and has dragged Fish through the mud in the media. He apparently has done a good job and the department is running smooth. Time to just make him the CHIEF and get going. If you replace him now, once again, we will suffer years of turmoil and growing pains of, yet, another Chief. Nobody is perfect. Who cares if he chose to marry a second time. Is that something to disqualify a candidate for Chief? If so, why has he been Chief for 2 years if they thought it was a problem. Gee Wiz!