City of Ithaca
Chief of Police Search Process
Editorial
Ithacans Cheated in Chief Selection
Why All Residents Deserve A Chance To Hear From Final Two Candidates
- The police chief is everybody's chief and not the exclusive property of people who have time to be involved in focus groups. The committee that will make a recommendation to Mayor Alan Cohen is lacking in some key elements, especially in representation from the business community, Collegetown and Cornell.
- We respect the amount of time that has gone into the search and it was a more inclusive process than ones in the past. But this is a far different, more challenging era for city law enforcement, featuring crack houses, heroin use, semiautomatic weapons and prostitution. On paper, the search process looks like a perfect democratic mechanism, but it is not. The final say on this key job is coming from a fraction of the population, whereas everybody has a stake in the city's changing public safety environment.
- There are some who say letting taxpayers know who is being considered for the job might threaten the candidates' current positions. But beginning this week, Cohen is prepared to go on a series of fact-finding trips to where the candidates live. It is highly doubtful he can go into a town and ask government officials and others specific questions about a high-profile public servant without it becomming common knowledge in that municipality.
- We have yet to hear a satisfactory answer on how this process differs from hiring a school superintendant or a college president. In recent months, both the Ithaca City School District and Ithaca College went through processes that gave every stakeholder the opportunity to be heard. Members of the police chief screening committee -- who have voted against releasing the names of the candidates -- have said the public had the chance to get involved, which is true. But thousands of Ithacans have full-time jobs and family responsibilities that didn't allow them the time to weigh in when this began last fall. The time for this crucial selection is now and there are people who want a say in the matter.
This is not a lot for Ithacans to ask from the government it supports with their taxes. Moreover, it is simply the right thing to do in a city that prides itself on being open and inclusive.
The Ithaca Journal
June 2, 1997
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