- How would you describe my job,
and what do you feel
is the most difficult part
about it for me?
- Okay!
- Hm.
- It's been really fascinating
watching the evolution
of the work that you do.
because I feel like I’ve had a
front row seat to your career trajectory.
- So from my point of view,
your job is to be the principal person
to develop and implement
the city's public safety plan.
- To modernize and update
a system that was not even built
to have you in it.
- Your job calls for forward thinking,
your job calls for strong commitment,
it calls for thick-skin.
- And it’s much more political.
Especially over the last year,
I mean, the work that I've seen you do,
the way I would describe your job is
trying to keep the police department
afloat.
- Because people have very different views,
across a whole spectrum,
of what public safety looks like,
how it should play out in real time,
how you should or should not relate to people,
and how many how much resources you should have.
- You're challenged with...
finances, you're challenged with
resources, and it's hard to be able to
serve the community and serve it
the way you want to,
just knowing you,
without the resources necessary to do that.
- Because everyone wants to make policing so political,
everyone wants to make your position
and what you say and everything you do
a political statement or,
you know, use it to their political advantage.
I think that that's really hard, especially for someone
who's a public servant first,
and someone looking to do their job overall.
- And quite frankly, and I don't blame you for this,
but I think that many police officers
have a sense of entitlement to their jobs.
And so the notion
that people should challenge what they do
or how they do it, or even if they should do it,
comes to them as like an affront.
- And I think the other hard part has been
having to decide on
disciplinary actions for
like your friends and your colleagues
and the people who you kind of
came through with, who were your allies.
Who gets promoted, who gets fired,
who is placed on leave.
What investigations have to happen.
I think that that's been really difficult as well.
- And in many ways,
you know, people think of chiefs as being
super powerful.
But in reality, not necessarily,
because they are political appointments.
They come and go. They don't have the same
guaranteed seniority rights, et cetera,
by contract that everyday officers have.
And the officers are aware of that in the same way
that other public servants are aware
of those dynamics.
So all of that factors into the way
that I interpret you,
and hear in the things that you say and do.
- I would hope that's—
- A very accurate description.
Very accurate.
Yeah, I agree with that.
I don't like the politics of this job.
I'm not a politician,
nothing against politicians,
but I'm not a politician.
And that and that's probably the most difficult part of
my job is...
dealing with all the the politics.
- Yeah. Yeah!
- A lot of truths in there,
that whole entitlement, officers
do have this whole entitlement thing.
And that's one of the challenges
that I face internally with making changes,
The discipline and promotions have been very difficult.
You know, these are people that I've worked with
sometimes my entire career.
And it's not just that person.
You know, when you work for somebody for 10
or 15 years, you know their family,
you know their kids, you've seen their kids grow up.
And so you know that if you're
looking to terminate somebody,
you know the effect that it’s going to have on their family.
And that's been one of the most extremely
difficult parts of this job.
- Yeah.
No, I can't imagine.
I can imagine firing my friends, you know.
And I know you, and I know
that you are someone who values,
I mean, relationships with people.
- All these people are counting on me.
Am I going to be able to keep people safe
in our community
with half the resources that, you know...
- Right. Right.
Which is the, that’s a problem we both share.
- Right.
And I think that we're trying to bridge those things together,
to make it good for everybody.
Department and the community.
It's a lot of balls to juggle.
- It is.
Which is why I would not want to have your job.