Bellevue rejects all five police chief finalists
Nov 17, 2014, 3:47 PM | Updated: Nov 18, 2014, 2:37 pm
The City of Bellevue is going back to the drawing board after rejecting all five candidates in the running to become the next police chief.
City Manager Brad Miyake sent an email to all city employees Monday saying while the five candidates represent “some of the best in law enforcement today,” none was a fit with with the community and the department.
The city will resume its search with what Miyake says could be a “targeted approach” to ensure the city can find the best candidate.
Miyake had previously said he hoped to have a new chief hired by the end of the year. There’s no word how long the new round of recruiting will take.
Those interviewed were Assistant Chief Matthew Clark (Minneapolis Police Department), Deputy Chief Jim Jolliffe (Bellevue Police Department), Chief Mitch McCann (Simi Valley California Police Department), Assistant Chief Nicholas Metz (Seattle Police Department), and Assistant Chief Raul Munguia (Austin Police Department), all of whom met with city officials and reporters in October.
Clark, the assistant chief from Minneapolis, said in a statement Tuesday that he was being considered for the job, but withdrew earlier this month for family and personal reasons:
It was an honor to have been selected as a finalist for the Bellevue Police Chief position with such an outstanding group of police executives. Shortly after our visit to Bellevue, I received a call from the HR Director informing me that the city intended to pursue me as their candidate and begin a background process with the intent to work towards a job offer. Unfortunately, I decided to withdraw from the process for family and personal reasons on Nov. 6th, 2014. I would like to thank the City of Bellevue and the Bellevue Police Department for their hospitality and consideration during the selection process.
Metz of the Seattle Police Department was best known locally among the five candidates. He issued the following statement Monday afternoon:
I was recently informed that the City of Bellevue chose to not go with any of the five Chief candidates and to reopen its search for a new Police Chief.
I want to thank the City of Bellevue, and in particular its City Manager, Brad Miyake, for the opportunity to participate in this very important selection process. I wish the City of Bellevue, and it’s Police Department, all the best. I look forward to continuing the excellent partnership we’ve developed with the Bellevue Police Department with the common goal of making our region safe.
My work here in Seattle is certainly not done and I will continue to proudly serve along side incredibly professional women and men who are part of the sworn and non-sworn ranks of SPD. As a 31 year member of SPD, I continue be in awe of phenomenal work our employees do each and everyday, 24/7.
Nicholas Metz, Assistant Chief
Patrol Operations Bureau
Seattle Police Department
Interim chief Jim Montgomery has agree to stay on until a replacement is hired, Miyake said. He replaced Linda Pillo, who retired in April after 28 years on the force, seven as chief.
The search firm hired to find a new police chief, Mercer Group Inc., will still be paid for its services. As of this week, Bellevue has paid the firm $10,669.27. Another $10,915 has been expensed and is likely to be reimbursed, bringing the total cost to $21,584.27.
Here is the full message from Miyake:
Good afternoon,
A few weeks back we had five police chief candidates on-site to meet with city employees, Council members and community leaders. It was a long two days and I want to personally thank those of you who took the time to sit on interview panels, meet the candidates at the public open house or provide tours of the department and city.
I have now received debriefs from all the interview panels, as well as feedback from others in the city and the community about the candidates. We also conducted additional analysis. I had intended to make an announcement within a week or so, but given the importance of such a decision, it has taken longer than expected and I thank you for your patience.
Throughout this process I have said that we want – and our community deserves – the best of the best leading our police agency. The candidates we interviewed certainly represent some of the best in law enforcement today.
After reviewing all the feedback, as well as my own analysis of how these candidates would fit with the community, Leadership Team, Police Department and overall organization, I have concluded that we will not extend a final offer to any of the candidates. Instead, we will be going back out for recruitment, likely with a targeted approach that will ensure that the next process will yield the candidates we are looking for to lead the Police Department.
Chief Montgomery has graciously agreed to stay on in an interim capacity while we launch the next recruitment. As we move along, I will continue to keep you posted.
Bellevue Police is one of the nation’s top-performing and professional agencies. We have been recognized time and again for excellence by The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, or CALEA. A recent report rated Bellevue the second best place to live in the country, citing its low crime rate. Residents consistently say in our annual surveys that they feel safe here, due in no small part to our flagship police force. Residents consistently say in our annual surveys that they feel safe here, due in no small part to our flagship police force. That is why I see the opportunity to choose the next leader of our police department as a tremendous privilege. I am confident we will find the right – and best – person to be Bellevue’s next police chief.
KIRO Radio’s Brandi Kruse contributed to this report
