SAN DIEGO, CA -- The Coalition for Police Accountability and Transparency will be stepping up the pressure for an open, inclusive and transparent search process for the San Diego Police Department's new chief during a special City Council hearing today at 9:30 a.m.
Members of the coalition, which includes Mid-City CAN, Alliance San Diego and ACLU San Diego & Imperial Counties, will be calling on the Mayor to listen to the community and to open up the process by, among other things:
- Identifying participants in the search and selection panels
- Having an equal number of community members adding youth, who reflect the diversity of San Diego, to the panel tasked with the second series of interviews
- Disclosing the identities of the three finalists for the position
- Allowing community members to meet the final three candidates and ask them questions
Christopher Rice-Wilson, Associate Director of Alliance San Diego, said the following:
"Mayor Faulconer's process for selecting the next chief of the San Diego Police Department provides no opportunity for meaningful public input because the public lacks the power to recommend candidates. In short, the public is seen, but not heard. A panel that includes three mayoral staffers and an unidentified number of "local law enforcement experts" will have a great influence in choosing our next police chief. This is not transparency and San Diego can, and should, do better."