Search for police chief may enter next phase,city says
An HBPD cruiser on Pier Plaza. Easy Reader file photo
Looking for a job with lots of responsibility in a place with 283 sunny days per year?
That’s the essence of Hermosa Beach’s ask of candidates for the vacant Chief of Police position. As the deadline to submit resumes draws to a close — Jan. 6, although it may be extended — Hermosa has high hopes for filling its most visible staff position, one that will have to manage sometimes competing demands of residents and will inherit a department confronting staffing shortages and a labor dispute.
Hermosa has received a “substantial number” of applicants but is not disclosing the precise number. That advice came from the recruiting firm Bob Murray and Associates, the firm with whom the city contracted to handle the search for the new chief, which said that doing so could discourage people from applying. Regan Williams, a Bob Murray recruiter, said in an emailed statement that the announcement of the retirement of interim chief Milton McKinnon last month may have created new interest from possible candidates, and that “the city may, if needed, extend the application deadline.”
Beginning Jan. 7, Williams will begin reviewing resumes, interview the most qualified among them via video conference, then confer with City Manager Suja Lowenthal about the most promising possibilities. From there, Lowenthal will decide who to select for in-person interviews, which will be conducted by a “panel of experts” that she will choose, Lowenthal said in an emailed statement. While the decision will ultimately be hers, she said she will rely on input from elected officials, city staff and residents.
Lowenthal will spend one to two days interviewing candidates and did not offer a timeline about when the process might be completed.
“I would rather spend extra time interviewing candidates than miss someone who may not fit the traditional profile for that department head. Some arrive in leadership positions through different trajectories, so we should be certain that we are not missing anyone,” Lowenthal said.
The listing for the Hermosa chief position, on the Bob Murray website, comes in the form of a glossy brochure that highlights Hermosa’s climate, beachside location, and proximity to the business power centers of Southern California. The posting asks for a candidate who can “help lead the organization toward its impressive potential” and one who can take a “fresh look” at the department.
It does not mention the strife between the city and the department’s rank-and-file, in which the Hermosa Beach Police Officers Association is demanding a salary increase in its newest contract that is far more than what the city has offered; the previous contract expired in July, and both parties indicate that the negotiations are at an impasse.
While it is unlikely that any serious candidate would apply without being aware of the conflict, the labor dispute is closely related to another key challenge facing Hermosa’s department: staffing shortages. The advertisement for the chief position states that the department is “budgeted to have 38 sworn officers” but it has long been short of that number. Several officers have recently left the department, and more are considering leaving, according to the officers association.
The process of hiring a police chief is one of the most sensitive tasks city government can undertake. Hermosa’s last search for a chief took more than 18 months to complete. The candidate ultimately selected, Chief Sharon Papa, was one of 47 applicants; she came to the job after a councilmember publicly announced his support for Cecil Rhambo, the other finalist.
Papa was on medical leave for all of 2019, and officially announced her retirement in October. McKinnon, who had been with the department for five years and served as acting chief during Papa’s leave, announced his retirement Dec. 12. McKinnon had been mentioned by several department watchers as a logical choice for Papa’s permanent replacement, and his retirement surprised many.
Michael McCrary became the interim chief on Dec. 29. McCrary previously served in the interim position for Hermosa during the search that led to Papa. In an interview before taking the position, McCrary said that being chief of a small department like Hermosa’s required a special set of skills.
“First of all, you’re more hands-on: you’re a lot closer to the community,” than a chief in a larger department, he said.
Some residents supporting the officers association in the labor dispute have suggested that salary could similarly restrict the search for Papa’s replacement. Hermosa’s next chief will earn a base salary of between $176,508 and $204,336 per year, depending on the “qualifications and experience” of the selected applicant. The high end of this range is comparable to the salaries offered by other nearby departments. Base salary, however, is one of only several compensation factors an applicant is likely to weigh, and the Hermosa job also offers a mix of benefits, pension contributions and incentives that may considerably change how much a city spends on an employee.
In 2018, Papa earned a salary of $202,164; with benefits, pension contributions and other income such as incentives and bonus pay, the city paid $324,459.04 for Papa’s services. Chief Keith Kaufman of the Redondo Beach Police Department earned a base salary of $194,639.91 in 2018, and total compensation of $376,617.83; in Manhattan Beach, MBPD Chief Derrick Abell had a 2018 base salary of $215,203. In El Segundo, Chief of Police William Whalen earned a 2018 base salary of $224,836, while benefits, pensions, and other inducements pushed total compensation to $418,255.47.