S.D. Police to Hire 1st Black Administrator

The San Diego Police Department expects to hire its first black administrator soon when a new position of director of personnel services is created.

The $60,000-a-year post will be filled by a civilian and not a sworn officer because, City Manager John Lockwood said, he wants a management expert to correct personnel problems that have plagued the Police Department.

“Personnel has been a problem there for a long time,” Lockwood said. “There are so many people (2,400 employees) and so many grievances. What we need is continuity and consistency. You do that by having someone in place for a certain period of time where they can call some shots and really speak for the department and get things done.”

In the past, the head of personnel was a police commander who had other responsibilities and served on the job for less than two years before moving to another assignment.

Kolender Raised Idea

Police Chief Bill Kolender said that he first raised the idea of hiring a black administrator two years ago in a management workshop.

“I think it is a bold step,” Kolender said in an interview Wednesday. “I think it is good for the Police Department and the community.”

Kolender said a black police administrator will provide “leadership, a different perspective, a visual presence for the community and the department, and a showing to the community that we’re concerned about this issue (the absence of blacks from the highest ranks of the department) and we’re willing to do something about it.”

Lockwood did say, however, that if a white candidate emerges as far more talented than any blacks, the white would be hired.

The plan to appoint a black administrator drew praise from community leaders.

Move Encouraged

“We believe that it appears the Police Department is making an effort to address some of the concerns the community has,” said Daniel Weber, a black attorney who heads the NAACP chapter in San Diego. “We encourage it and certainly would welcome it.”

Weber added: “Just because a civilian has been employed does not mean that we do not expect the department to no longer promote blacks from within the police force.”

There are no blacks among the department’s 15 captains. The department has three black lieutenants.

“I think it is a very good thing to bring somebody in at the management level who will bring a different background, certainly in the personnel area,” said Murray Galinson, chairman of the Citizens Advisory Board on Police-Community Relations.

Created by City Council

The task force headed by Galinson was created by the City Council two years ago in the wake of the Sagon Penn police shootings. Penn killed one officer and seriously wounded another but was acquitted during trials in which his attorney argued that Penn was the victim of a brutal, racist attack. The panel proposed numerous recommendations to help police ease tensions between officers and the city’s minority communities.

Galinson said that many citizens--as well as police officers--expressed concern to the task force that the Police Department did not have any black administrators. Galinson said he believed that until the last decade police officials did not make a concerted effort to promote minorities.

Officer Ron Newman, an official with the San Diego Police Officers Assn., said he did not know about the appointment and had no comment.

The plan to hire a civilian has upset a number of police supervisors who believe the appointment should come from the sworn ranks. But Lockwood said he would not have approved the new position if police had proposed the job be filled from within the department.

Continuity Wanted

“I want continuity in that person, not someone who rotates through,” Lockwood said. “You could put a captain or a commander there and in a couple of years . . . they would get promoted. As a result, there is constant turnover. I want someone to be there for a number of years, not to use that as a 24-month assignment to something bigger or better.”

Assistant Police Chief Bob Burgreen acknowledged that some police officers and supervisors oppose hiring an outsider and feel that the department is catering to minority interests by deciding in advance to hire a black.

“I think it is a risky but gutsy and progressive move on the part of the chief to do this,” Burgreen said. “There will be some concerns, some backlashes. There will be skeptics, but our attitude is and has been from the start that we are simply going to make this work. This person is not going to be a token (and) will be an important part of our management team.”

Without Black Voice

Burgreen said that the San Diego Police Department is one of the few major U.S. law enforcement agencies without a black voice in upper management. He said there were few blacks on the police force 15 years ago and a strict Civil Service system required officers to pass examinations and gain tenure before being promoted.

Weber said he believes black officers have not been promoted in San Diego because police agencies historically have been racist organizations.

“We all know that, as is true with most cities of America, the police departments have been--and some are to this day--places that smack of racism,” Weber said. “Certainly that may have contributed to a lack of blacks being in higher command positions in this particular department in this city. That is not surprising.”

The new personnel director will be responsible for hiring, conducting background investigations on applicants, training officers and recruits and labor relations, Burgreen said.

54 Candidates

A nationwide search for qualified applicants earlier this year produced 54 candidates. The list of candidates was trimmed to eight candidates who now are in the process of being interviewed by Burgreen and Deputy Chief Norm Stamper. The eight candidates include a law enforcement official from Los Angeles, a former head of personnel for the Navy and corporate officials from San Diego and outside California, Burgreen said.

Three finalists will be picked from the eight candidates, and they will be interviewed by Kolender and Lockwood before a selection is made. Police officials hope to have the new personnel manager hired within six weeks.

“We are just thrilled about the quality of applicants we have received,” Burgreen said. “They are also people who, in spite of being black, have moved into positions in predominantly white America and moved to the top of their profession. . . . There’s no question in my mind that any of the eight would be able to step right in and start pulling their weight right now.”