GV Wire has learned the identities of four of the five finalists to succeed retiring Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.
The candidates from within the Fresno Police Department are deputy chief Mike Reid and Capt. Mark Salazar. Both previously told GV Wire they were applying for the position.
The external candidates are Stockton Deputy Police Chief Trevor Womack; Selma Police Chief Greg Garner, a former Fresno police captain; and a candidate believed to be from out-of-state.
Related Story: Brand Will Reveal Fresno’s Next Police Chief Friday Morning
Dyer, who is a candidate on the 2020 ballot to succeed Lee Brand as Fresno mayor, is scheduled to retire Oct. 15.
From L to R: Fresno PD Capt. Mark Salazar, Fresno PD Deputy Chief Mike Reid, Selma PD Chief Greg Garner, and Stockton PD Deputy Chief Trevor Womack
Brand, Quan Will Make Selection
Brand and city manager Wilma Quan are responsible for selecting the police chief. But Brand has said that he will give serious weight to the recommendation of an interview panel made up of City Hall officials and community members.
The mayor has described the hunt for the next police chief search as “the largest, most comprehensive search this city has ever done.”
That effort included community forums led by the mayor and city council members, as well as online surveys in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
You can read the results of that survey at this link.
Related Story: Dyer Outlines Plans for Final Months as Chief
The Interview Panels
Eighteen Fresno city employees and community members interviewed the five candidates Thursday at City Hall.
GV Wire has obtained a list of the panelists. They are:
City Hall: Tim Orman (mayor’s chief of staff), Wilma Quan (city manager), Mike Carbajal (public utilities director), Jane Sumpter (assistant city manager), Greg Barfield (transportation director), H Spees (strategic initiatives director)
Law enforcement/criminal justice: Clovis Police Chief Curt Fleming, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, Fresno Police Officers Association President Todd Frazier.
Community: Pastor D.J. Criner (Saint Rest Baptist Church), Sukaina Hussain (outreach director for Islamic advocacy group CAIR), Pastor Eli Loera (Family Christian Assembly), Larry Powell (former Fresno County Superintendent of Schools), Lorraine Salazar (owner of Sal’s Mexican Restaurant), Pao Yang (CEO, The Fresno Center), Jesus Lopez (community member), Judge Robert Oliver (retired) and Chuck Riojas (Building & Construction Trades Council).
Some panelists told GV Wire they signed a confidentiality agreement and could not provide more details on the search.
Well, so much for the community being represented in this panel. All I saw were well educated, well to do, well connected city hall puppets who I’m sure used pre-prepared questions made up by city hall staffers during the interview process. I didn’t see one community member from the poor, homeless and working class poor part of this city. Those are the people who come in contact with the police the most. Those people have their rights violated the most. I’m sure they would be most interested in who our next chief will be. Maybe our councilmembers could ask for a do-over in the interest of justice and fairness.
Who is the source of this info? How do we know that any of this is accurate #citesouces. This just reads as one big “trust me”.
GV Wire requires confirmation from two independent sources with direct knowledge of the facts before it publishes a story based on sources.
Look at Stockton now. Womack been there through it all. Fresno has enough issues. Don’t hire someone from Another agency with just as many problems. Ask the officers at Stockton if their happy with their current administration? That should tell you much