Santa Barbara seeks community input during search for next police chief
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-The City of Santa Barbara is looking for community input before hiring its 29th Chief of Police.
Former Police Chief Lori Luhnow retired in February.
Interim Chief Bernard Melekian was sworn in on March 1, but isn t interested in the permanent position.
The Police Chief Recruitment community survey on Survey Monkey is open through Monday April 19. Responses are intended to help city leaders with the recruitment process which could take six months.
City Administrator Paul Casey said Santa Barbara is following the lead of San Luis Obispo. SLO launched a similar survey late last year to fill the vacancy left by Deanna Cantrell.
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After months of searching, the City of San Luis Obispo offered its police chief position to Rick Scott, the current assistant police chief in North Richland Hills, Texas.
City Manager Derek Johnson said addressing systemic racism and racial bias in policing was an important consideration for city staff in making their selection for the position.
“What we’ve learned in 2020 and 2021 is that our community has said loud and clear that we want a new age of policing,” Johnson said. “The good news is that our police department has a good headstart on that in embracing the pillars of 21st century policing.”
San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach city leaders discuss new police chiefs
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. - San Luis Obispo announced it has appointed a new Chief of Police, and its current Interim Chief will be moving on to become Pismo Beach s new Police Chief.
Following a nationwide search, Rick Scott from North Richland Hills, Texas, was chosen as San Luis Obispo s new chief. He is scheduled to start his role on May 13.
Scott currently serves as Assistant Police Chief in North Richland Hills, a city of over 70,000 residents in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. There, the city said he successfully engaged and empowered underrepresented segments of the community on joint public safety initiatives.
San Luis Obispo announced it has appointed a new Chief of Police, and its current Interim Chief will be moving on to become Pismo Beach's new Police Chief.