City of Ithaca
Chief of Police Search Process
NEXT CHIEF WILL MEET PANEL’S 74 CRITERIA
What characteristics do people want to see in the city’s next police chief?
Uncompromising honest. Commanding respect. A proven track record on affirmative action. Being in touch with the community.
A final list of 74 characteristics, consolidated from a list of 310 generated at two recent public forums, was created by the screening committee for the chif of police selection process.
The committee held another forum Wednesday night, inviting residents to go through the final list and prioritize the characteristics. Using a method called concept mapping, about 20 participants each stacked individual cards listing the 74 qualities into piles of similar categories, and then rated the importance of each card.
Bill Trochim, a Cornell professor of human ecology and the facilitator for the community aspect of the search process, said computer programs will compile the results of the concept mapping. The output will essentially be "a picture - the ideal of what the community would like to see in a chief," he said.
"We’re not going to find someone who fits it exactly, but we’re going to want to find someone who fits it as closely as possible," he said.
The process was new to some, who found themselves facing a dizzying array of card piles as they tried to group them by theme. "This is definitely different," said Valerie Hayes, director of Cornell University’s office of equal opportunity and a member of the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission. She said she grouped some cards into categories like leadership, community relations and respect for the police officers on the force.
"These days, I think we have to try and find a person who’s as close a match as possible for this community and its issues," she said.
Lauren Austin, director of the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission, found herself putting several cards into a pile she could only call "common sense and integrity."
"I found the comments to be very reflective of our community," said Ithaca Mayor Alan Cohen, who organized his own pile of cards. "We’re looking for a very unique individual - someone who’d be very good for the community."
Ithaca Police Sgt. John Beau Saul; was one of just two department members who participated in the Wednesday night forum. He said many of the characteristics on the list were well thought out but some prioritized just a single issue. "The last thing we want is a single-issue trait candidate," he said. He praised one card’s call for a mission statement to lead the department into the next century.
Robert Skates, a youth worker at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center’s Stepping Up program, said the comments reflect the community’s desire for the police department and its members to truly be part of the community. "Now, police see themselves as a policing agency," he said, explaining that many residents’ only communication and contact with police is when they’re being arrested.
Return To Main Page
This project is sponsored in part by:
Concept Systems Incorporated |
 |