Since PLEA represents Unit 4 employees of the Phoenix Police Department, which make up the majority of all Department employees when compared to civilians and management, it has always been past practice for the City to include PLEA in the selection process for the Police Chief.
On Thursday, February 9th, while going through some material from 2004, the last time we selected a new Police Chief, it came to the attention of PLEA Treasurer/Chief Negotiator Will Buividas that this wasn’t the case with the current process, prompting him to contact City Manager David Cavazos.
Here are excerpts from the email that was sent to the City Manager:
It is PLEA’s understanding that the City is having interviews and assessments next week with the eight candidates that are being considered for the Chief’s position.
When one takes into account that we know nothing about who the candidates are, what their backgrounds or experience consist of, and weren’t involved in the interview process which led to this list being chosen, why weren’t we on the panels as we were eight years ago?
As of late Thursday afternoon, PLEA was informed that President Joe Clure would be part of the interview panel for the final eight candidates.
PLEA has a strong history of being a key component of the selection process of prior Chiefs and will continue to work for what’s best for the City, the Department, and the community we serve.