As San Diego starts its search to replace its soon-to-retire police chief, the city has set up a series of forums around town in hopes of hearing what people want to see most in the next person selected to lead the San Diego Police Department.
Each of the city’s nine council districts will hold one forum, with the first scheduled for Jan. 8, and the last slated for Jan. 24.
In a news release Thursday, Mayor Todd Gloria encouraged people to take part in the forums.
“There are few decisions as consequential to public safety than choosing who will lead our police department,” he said.
The city has created a webpage — sandiego.gov/police/next-police-chief — to share information about the hiring process. It provides the forum schedule, including times, dates and locations. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP online.
San Diego will also introduce an online survey for people to provide input and priorities for the next chief. That survey will be made available in early January.
Chief David Nisleit will retire in June, after spending the last five years running the police department in the country’s eighth largest city. The search for his successor will span the nation. Final interviews with the candidates who make it through to the last round will be in March.
San Diego, which has about 1.4 million residents, consistently sees some of the lowest big-city crime rates, and an annual review by the Union-Tribune has shown for the last several years that it has the lowest homicide rates among the 10 largest cities in the country.
Still, like many law enforcement agencies nationwide, San Diego police grapple with persistent challenges including struggling to recruit and retain officers and working through sometimes strained relationships with some communities, particularly those of color. Also challenging is addressing how to best respond to people experiencing homelessness or struggling with mental illness.
The chief is the one who sets policies and approaches — and the tone.
San Diego has hired the same outside firm that handled the last recruitment process to run this one. The search will look both inside the department and across the country. The last time someone from outside the department was tapped to run it was 2003, with the selection of Bill Lansdowne, a former San Jose police chief. He led San Diego’s department until 2014.
Jan. 8: District 7, Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center, 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, 6-8 p.m.
Jan. 11: District 1. Mary, Star of the Sea, 7669 Girard Ave. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Jan. 12: District 2. Point Loma Library, 3701 Voltaire St., 5-7 p.m.
Jan. 13: District 8, San Ysidro Library, 4235 Beyer Blvd. 10 a.m.-noon
Jan. 16: District 9, Park De La Cruz, 3901 Landis St. 5-7 p.m.
Jan. 17: District 5, Scripps Miramar Ranch Library, 10301 Scripps Lake Drive. 5-7 p.m.
Jan. 18: District 6, Alexandria Tech Center, 9605 Scranton Road. 6-8 p.m.
Jan. 23: District 4, Fourth District Seniors Resource Center, 570 South 65th St. 6-8 p.m.
Jan. 24: District 3, Balboa Park Club, 2144 Pan American W Road. 5:30-730 p.m.
