Commissioners to Discuss Rules Related to Police Oversight Commission’s Involvement in Chief Search

The Community Police Oversight Commission will discuss the City’s municipal code language related to the CPOC’s involvement in chief of police hiring. 

There was no staff report about the item posted in the agenda as of Monday afternoon.

In October commissioners had urged City Manager Miguel Márquez to look for ways to include members of the commission in the hiring process of selecting the next chief of the Pasadena Police Department. 

Members were left out of two hiring panels used to help whittle down the candidates. However, earlier in the process the group provided input to a consultant working with the city to hire the new chief. 

After Márquez met with the CPOC last month, he sent a letter to the group reminding them that the commission had already had its say.

“The valuable information you provided to Mr. Rojas was incorporated into the recruitment bulletin that was prepared for the recruitment process,” Márquez said. 

“That input influenced the types of candidates who were recruited, the discussions Mr. Rojas had with these candidates when evaluating whether to recommend them to me for further consideration, and ultimately the final list of candidates who were invited to the interview panel process.”

The City Manager has the sole responsibility of choosing the police chief and is not required to consult with the City Council or the police oversight commission. 

“For such a big decision that directly impacts our work as a commission, it’s disappointing to not even have a notice of the timeline of this interview let alone be consulted in regards to being able to participate in these interviews,” CPOC Chair Raúl Ibáñez told Márquez.

The Oversight Commission is independent of the City Manager’s office due to overwhelming requests for that arrangement by local residents. 

Márquez has narrowed the process down to the finalists and is scheduled to announce a new chief later this month.