San Diego's police chief, Shelley Zimmerman, will be retiring soon, and the hunt is on for her replacement. Zimmerman, who is the first woman to hold the post, will retire in March 2018.
San Diego officials have held community meetings to give residents a chance to share their thoughts on what they hope to see in a new chief. Residents have said the new chief should make sure the officers receive better pay, stop racial profiling, and learn better methods of coping with mentally disabled persons. They would also like to see the force become more racially diverse, adopt better methods of training officers to deal with the homeless, and use greater transparency in its dealings with the public, specifically the use of body cameras.
Residents also mentioned the personal qualities they'd like to see in the new police leader, asking for someone who is inspirational but approachable, has a sense of humor, and a strong presence. They are also asking from someone with the experience of running a department in a large city, who has won the respect of both the residents and the police in the community they serve. Finally, they'd like to see someone hired from outside, something that has only happened once in the past 50 years.
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