City Council: Process to hire PD Chief continuing
April 10, 2013
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula City Council
Almost a year since the city was without a designated police chief, the ongoing selection process for a new top cop was addressed at the April 1 City Council meeting.
At the end of the meeting, during the second portion of the session devoted to council and staff communications, City Manager Jaime Fontes said the interview process for a new police chief should begin soon.
The city-generated recruitment to replace former Chief Steve MacKinnon, fired in June after more than six years as the city’s top cop, was closed September 28, 2012. Sgt. Ishmael Cordero has served as the interim chief since MacKinnon was placed on paid administrative leave April 17.
Twenty-five applications were received, according to a written statement issued by the city in October, and “after review by the Expert and Advisory Panels, the City Manager will conduct final interviews with recommended candidates. The City Manager intends to take both the Expert and Advisory Panels’ observations, evaluations and recommendations into consideration in making the final selection on the Police Chief position.”
District Attorney Greg Totten, Assistant Ventura County Sheriff John Crombach and Oxnard Police Chief Jeri Williams were named in the statement as the expert panel that would review the written applications and rank their top choices for further consideration. The advisory panel was to be five citizens appointed by council members, as well as the president of the Santa Paula Police Officers Association.
Fontes said at the April 1 meeting that by the “third week of this month” he expects to meet with the “expert committee to narrow down to a small number” those candidates that seem viable, at least on paper. That action, said Fontes, will be “followed by interviews shortly thereafter” of the candidates by the citizens advisory committee.
