KQED: You were part of the commissions that hired both police chiefs George Gascón and Greg Suhr. What lessons have you learned that will be applied to the next chief?
DeJesus: We need someone who can embrace the policies that we're putting in place, embrace the body cameras. But we also need someone who can enforce changes in terms of changing that culture, rooting out people who make homophobic and racist comments. And how do we select our officers, going all the way down to the bottom process in terms of recruitment or training.
KQED: Is hiring the next police chief under these recent controversies make it harder for the commission to hire the best person for the job?
DeJesus: No. I think we owe it to the citizens to conduct a national search. I think we really need to find the best person for the job and not only someone who agrees with all the policy changes but that can actually implement the changes and get it done. And that means looking in house as well as looking outside.
KQED: What might the selection process look like? What role might the police union play in deciding who the next chief will be?
DeJesus: The way we've done it before, we (the commission) do the interviews and we send the names to the mayor and he selects it. I've been looking around and there are suggestions that maybe community members should participate. I don't know if that will go. Maybe perhaps the POA (Police Officer's Association) will have a say. It's something we have to talk about with the city attorney. Or maybe we get the finalist candidates and we have a meet and greet.
KQED: What is your biggest concern about the next chief?
DeJesus: It's really trust. It's coming down to re-establishing trust with the community and having transparency and having accountability.
KQED: How soon would you like to see the new chief hired?
DeJesus: I'd like to see the new chief hired sooner than six months. I'm wondering if we can do this in a 60-day to 90-day period. I think it is possible.
