Fresno Mayor Lee Brand and city manager Wilma Quan will announce their choice for Fresno’s new police chief 10 a.m. Friday at City Hall.
Members of the citizen interview panel will also attend the announcement, the city’s public affairs office said Thursday afternoon.
The selection follows a nationwide search conducted by a consulting firm, an online survey of citizens, and numerous community meetings.
Four of the Five Finalists Identified
Last week, GV Wire learned the identities of four of the five finalists to succeed retiring 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.
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 Quan are responsible for selecting the police chief. But Brand said that he would give serious weight to the recommendation of an interview panel made up of City Hall officials and community members.
The mayor described the hunt for the next police chief search as “the largest, most comprehensive search this city has ever done.”
You can read the results of that online 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 last week 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.
From what the Bee says the press conference will fall flat. The hiring process failed (no surprise here) and Andy Hall is going to be the interim chief while they start over.