Agenda - Council - 02/25/1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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SELECTING THE NEXT POLICE CHIEF From outside the organization Some Councilmembers and some employees believe that appointing a Police Chief from outside the organization can bring fresh ideas to the department. They want a "90's Chief to run a 90's department." In part that means someone who has experience as a Police Chief in a similar size community that is farther along in the life cycle that all cities experience. It also means someone who is not only experienced as a police officer, but is formally educated as an administrator. They want to make sure the head of the City's largest department is equal to the task.. Most people see a high degree of risk in appointing someone from outside the department. There is a 50/50 chance, they say, that an outsider will not deliver what they promise. We won't necessarily know about their flaws and past mistakes and idiosyncrasies until it's too late. More worrisome is the thought that someone will arrive with preconceived ideas about what Ramsey needs and try to impose a one-size-fits-all solution on the City's problems. Energy and drive are great, others point out, unless they are channeled into career building at the City's expense. Department employees, as mentioned earlier, are concerned about someone imposing an entirely different management style on them. On the one hand, everyone has a fresh start with an outsider, they admit. On the other, there will be a significant transition period as the Chief gets to know Ramsey and Ramsey gets to know the Chief. From inside the organization According to the current job description the Sergeant is the only person in the Police Department qualified to serve as Police Chief and the support for promoting him was overwhelming, in the department and on the City Council. The most frequently cited reason for selecting an internal candidate was that the City knows what it is getting. There may be fine tuning in the way the department operates, but no one expects major diversion from the current course of direction. Thus far the Council as a whole has not indicated that the department needs a new direction. The second most frequently cited reason for appointing the Sergeant is that he has proven he can handle the job. For a number of years he has served as Acting Police Chief in the Chief's absence. Most recently, he filled that role for six weeks in November/December of 1996 while the Chief was on medical leave. According to department employees, things run smoothly in the Chief's absence. The Sergeant, they say, has worked hand-in- hand with the Chief over the years and there would be no drastic change with him in the top spot. The transition would hardly be noticeable. 11