AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department has announced the top seven candidates for Chief of Police — after a search that included 46 candidate applications.
The next police chief would be in charge of over 1,809 sworn officers and 734 non-sworn professional staff, the City of Austin says. Additionally, the chief will have a budget of $240.8 million to work with for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
Whoever does become Austin Chief of Police will also face a department in flux, as operations change and public attitudes toward the department polarize.
Candidates are:
- Joseph Chacon: Austin’s Interim Police Chief.
- Anne Kirkpatrick: National instructor for FBI teaching leadership, bias and diversity, emotional intelligence and other topics. Former Police Chief in Oakland, California.
- Avery L. Moore: Assistant Chief at Dallas Police Department Investigations Bureau.
- Celeste Murphy: Deputy Chief, Community Services Division at the Atlanta Police Department.
- Mirtha V. Ramos: Chief of Police at DeKalb County Police Department in Georgia.
- Gordon Ramsay: Police Chief in Wichita, Kansas.
- Emada E. Tingrides: Los Angeles PD Deputy Chief.
“I am excited about the diverse slate of individuals we have identified for this position,” said Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk, who explained that he’ll be discussing city and resident goals with candidates shortly.
Earlier this year, APD solicited the community to give their input about what they want in the next chief. The Ralph Andersen & Associates consulting firm worked to help recruit candidates based on the response. The majority of the seven-candidate pool are people of color, including three women of color.
Cronk said the input showed the city wants someone who has “exceptional communication skills and [can] create dialogue with the community.”
“They want to see the Chief be reform-minded and transparent and have a track record of fostering community involvement and accountability,” said Cronk. “The candidates selected show these characteristics in various ways.”
Cronk says he hopes to announce the new chief before the end of August.
