The City of Tucson has selected four finalists to interview for the position of police chief. City Manager Michael Ortega will make the final appointment with the approval of Mayor and Council.
The City contracted with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to conduct the search and assist with the three-part hiring process. PERF screened the initial applications and provided the city manager with 60 applicants. An interview process was then used to select the finalists from the recommended applicant pool.
The four finalists are: (click on name to see resume)
- Malik Aziz, 23 years Dallas TX, Police Department
- Larry Esquivel, 32 years San Jose CA Police department
- Rick Gregory, 31 years Law Enforcement primarily Florida
- Christopher Magnus, 37 Years Law enforcement
Mangus, Richmond chief of police, captured attention when he embraced the “Black Lives Matter” slogan
The finalist will interview with the 15-member City Police Chief Appointment Advisory Committee at a public meeting on Oct. 29 in the Mayor and Council Chambers at City Hall, 255 W. Alameda. Separate interviews will be held with the Tucson Police Officers Association (TPOA) and Tucson Police Department command, as well as the City’s executive leadership team. Input from all three groups will be submitted to the City Manager for consideration.
“I look forward to receiving input from both internal and external stakeholder groups as we move toward the selection for this important position. I am confident we will find a chief committed to applying the principles of community policing to deliver a high level of services to residents,” said City Manager Ortega.
Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor is scheduled to retire in December, after 35 years with the Tucson Police Department.
Aziz was a finalist for the San Antonio chief spot along with Tucson Police Chief Robert Villaseñor. Both were passed up for the job.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Aziz is the chairman of the National Black Police Association, and “he is popular with the police associations. Dallas Police Association leaders have been complimentary of him. The vice president of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas recently asked Chief David Brown in a letter to promote Aziz to assistant chief. And National Latino Law Enforcement Organization’s Dallas Director George Aranda said he sees Aziz as an up-and-coming leader.”
Esquivel announced his retirement from the San Jose Police Department in July of this year. According to the San Jose Mercury News, since Esquivel’s appointment as interim chief in early 2013 and as permanent chief by that year’s end, the department has been beset by a dramatic exodus of officers who retired early or left for other law-enforcement agencies amid a bitter struggle between the city and San Jose Police Officers’ Association over pay, pension and disability benefits.”
Gregory is currently the Vice President of Institute for Intergovernmental Research in Tallahasee, Florida. He resigned as the Provo Police Department in 2013. According to the Herald, “Gregory began his service career as a firefighter, then he became a member of the Florida Highway Patrol and worked up the ranks to lieutenant colonel and second in command in the state. He also served as the director of public safety for the county of New Castle, Del., as well as chief operating officer.” When he resigned he said he was leaving to return to Ohio.
According to the Contra Costa Times, “Police Chief Chris Magnus, who has drawn acclaim for his community-policing approach and helping drive down both crime and use of force by his officers in recent years, was front and center, facing the street while holding a white sign that said “#blacklivesmatter.” The photo quickly went viral on social media, the image of the uniformed chief with the popular hashtag a stark contrast to the anti-police sentiment many associate with it.” In April 2015, Magnus was sued for wrongful termination by an officer who claimed “that he was discriminated against after he reported to his supervisor that Magnus allegedly made sexual advances towards him. According to the lawsuit, the officer was assigned to a surveillance and protection detail outside of the private residence of Magnus and his husband after Magnus received threats from the community.”