What Yakima should seek in police chief

This editorial was published on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012

Yakima has narrowed its police chief choices to three men who offer widely varying backgrounds for consideration by interim City Manager Michael Morales. The new chief, like the departed Sam Granato, will come from outside the Yakima Police Department.

Coming from here would help; Granato was the first Yakima chief who didn't rise through the ranks, and that no doubt worked against him when the going got rough. But Morales is taking a solid approach in looking for someone with executive experience.

The three finalists are Dave Frazer, who most recently was police chief in McFarland, Calif., and was a longtime chief in Rohnert Park, Calif.; Dale Miller, Ellensburg police chief; and Dominic Rizzi, a lieutenant in the Chicago Police Department.

Frazer has worked in cities that most closely mirror Yakima's size and demographics. Rohnert Park, in Sonoma County north of San Francisco, has about 40,000 people, of whom 22 percent are Latino. Frazer also started a police force in McFarland, a San Joaquin Valley farming community of 12,000 that previously had contracted with a county sheriff's department. He stayed on the job for a year in McFarland, which is more than 90 percent Latino.

Miller, who has held Ellensburg's top job since 2006, brings police chief experience and a knowledge of state collective-bargaining laws along with general familiarity with Central Washington. He also spent 19 years with the Chehalis Police Department, two years as chief.

Rizzi, a station supervisor for a big-city department, oversees almost as many officers and sergeants as the entire commissioned staff in Yakima. He touts extensive work on labor issues and in combatting gangs in Chicago and says what has worked there can be applied here.

When Granato left just over a year ago, we offered some ideas on what we were looking for in a chief. Much of that remains relevant today. Yakima's new chief should offer, as much as possible, the following:

* Be a good cop and good politician. The chief needs to understand his department's jobs and communicate that understanding to elected officials and the public.

* Deal with elected officials. The city manager (at least for now, Yakima's form of government) and council can provide cover when times get tough.

* Be budget-conscious. The chief constantly must look for ways to make the rank-and-file more effective and more efficient.

* Have experience confronting gangs. The new chief should be well-versed in intervention and community/school programs that address this.

* Limit the excess baggage. Granato brought a considerable past from his previous job in Texas. The applicants require considerable vetting.

* Be above ethical reproach. Granato was accused of picking favorites and for retaliating against whistle-blowers. These echoed concerns that followed him from Texas.

* Be a disciplinarian. Recent incidents like officers running up huge bar tabs while training in Spokane have undermined public confidence in the force.

* Interact with all facets of a diverse city. This includes longtime residents fed up with gang-related crime and the illegal drug trade, and with new immigrants who traditionally have not trusted law enforcement and therefore are hesitant to speak up.

* Understand labor. The chief needs to respect the negotiating process and the right of employees to engage in it.

* Pick your public issues carefully. In 2010, Granato spoke at a rally of those favoring immigration reform and future citizenship for illegal immigrants. He said he spoke as a private citizen, not as police chief, but in reality there's no separating the two.

Morales will make the call, having been thrust into the position when former City Manager Don Cooper left after four months. He is getting feedback from city elected officials, community members and law enforcement. After more than a year, we look forward to seeing this critical position being filled with the right person.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Sharon J. Prill, Bob Crider, Frank Purdy and Karen Troianello.