SJPD Chief Rob Davis announced today that he will retire after 30 years on the San Jose police force. Mayor Chuck Reed released a brief message thanking Davis for his service.
While he has been praised for several progressive policies and initiatives, Davis’ last two years as chief were marked by numerous controversies, including charges that SJPD officers targeted Latinos for arrest, used excessive force, and hurt downtown businesses with overly aggressive policing.
Davis, who earns $215,000 per year, is entitled to retire with an annual pension totaling 90 percent of his salary.
Statement from San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed regarding the Retirement of Police Chief Rob Davis
“I would like to thank Chief Davis for three decades of exemplary service to our community. He’s done a great job for our city and I’m sorry to see him leave.
During more than six years as Police Chief, Rob has worked tirelessly to maintain San Jose’s reputation as one of the safest places to live, work and raise a family. Despite having to continually do more with less, his leadership has ensured that our police department remains one of the finest departments in the country.”
The City Manager has stated that she will immediately initiate a nationwide search for a new Police Chief and hopes to announce a replacement before Chief Davis’ retirement takes effect.
“Davis’ last two years as chief were marked by numerous controversies, including charges that SJPD officers targeted Latinos for arrest, used excessive force, and hurt downtown businesses with overly aggressive policing. “
Why did not Mercky admit their anti police reporter made up many accusations against Police Department and police officers ?
OK. Great. Who wouldn’t retire with THAT kind of a deal being offered? So we’re paying Lansdowne how much not to be the police chief? Now we’ll pay Davis $200k/year not to be the police chief. Am I forgetting any other guys we’re paying not to be the police chief? Of course now we’ll have to pay another guy to actually BE the police chief. But I’m sure it won’t be long before we have to pay him not to be the police chief too.
What a racket.
Brilliant prediction Galt. But then, when you set up a system that practically begs employees to abuse it, it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to guess what will happen.
Chris Moore- Latest in a long line of pension spikers.
Reasons why Police and Fire Chiefs leave SJ after short Chief term?
1) Financial – can get both SJ pension or new salary / new pension ( Lansdowne in San Diego ( retired 2003 ) , Cobarruviaz in Redwood City ( retired 1998 ) since San Jose has seperate pension system from CALPERS Cost to SJ – 10’s millions in early pension payments since no double dipping restriction for new CALPERS or seperate retirement plans
CALPERS – ( IRS) restrictions on new employment ( double dipping ) https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https://www.calpers.ca.gov/mss-publication/pdf/xowqcd204fueL_pub-33-booklet.pdf&embedded=true
2) Chiefs are picked that have only 4-7 years to Full 30 year SJ 90% pension SJ pension has higher yearly % last 10 years – 20-30 years than first 20 years No benefit to staying for only 10% pay ( 100% – 90% pension = 10% )
3) Why work for people who do not support or defend you from unfair or false criticism?
Council is politically afraid of Mercury and Community groups ( ACLU, NAACP etc ) and did not check facts but believed all accusations
City Manager wants Chief to leave so does not support Chief or Police Department
City Manager wants new Chief that is 100% loyal without question to CM who will not question or object to any CM decisions vs giving Professional advice for which public believes Chief is hired to do – Low SJ PD staffing and budget with higher crime than other local cities is hidden from public
Slow Fire Department response rates due to few firefighters also hidden but Fire Chief will say nothing or will get in trouble with CM
All Chief’s public statements must be approved by CM’s Office
I hope the city looks into a Latino Chief. The distrust that has been shown thoughout the Latino Community might mend with such an appointment. I also believe the city needs to determine the candidates from prior Police Backgrounds. Anything less than that will reflect poorly on the City Administration. With this appointment maybe these anti-police groups will find common ground and develop trust. They will also not have much to complain about. keep the Peace! Crystal Ball OUT!
I am so glad to see him go. I could care less what it costs for his retirement. It’s worth every penny to get new blood in here.
Job Opening: Police Chief, City of San Jose—Qualifications
Must have:
A proven ability to recite, on command, ad infinitum, your commitment to diversity, and absorb, from the minority community, an endless, undeserved, and patently absurd barrage of criticism and insult.
A belief that the historically disproportionate criminality of Hispanic and African-Americans can be rectified by a police department through catchy slogans, recycled social programs, race-based hiring/promotion, and midnight basketball.
A willingness to feign sincerity when dealing with a rainbow array of self-important half-wits, all of whom maintain, without evidence or credential, expertise in police policy and tactics, and lay claim to the authority to speak for tens of thousands of local residents.
The ability to work in a major city in which the only daily newspaper has, in its death throes, been reduced to a scandal sheet that must discredit the criminal justice system in order to foster the controversy necessary to sell its newspapers.
An established record of acting as if that there is nothing “illegal” about illegal aliens.
A willingness to work for a mayor who maintains his own expensive and publicly unaccountable “top cop” to advise him regarding policing the city for which you are accountable.
At the completion of your service to the City, you can expect to be sent off with a generous retirement package along with an outpouring of unbridled animosity from minority communities that you never had a chance of pleasing and to whom you sacrificed your dignity.
Amongst a few other important qualifications, with these, you hit the nail on the head. Kudos.
“Like”
If you can’t have fun with our problems, there’s no point in talking about them. What I can’t stand is when folks get so deadly serious about every petty political matter that they can’t crack a smile once in a while, even if the joke might be at their expense.
On a more serious note, a sense of humor might be important in high city staff positions (though with some common sense about keeping decorum when making official announcements and such.)
The new Police Chief has already been selected by City Manager
Let the dog and pony show begin, so that public thinks they have a say in who gets selected as we have seen before with “done deal” City Hall politics
If the city manager is running things without the council and mayor, they need to be retired also. If, however, the ruling coalition (6 votes) is working with the city manager to rig the process, then that’s a “sunshine issue.”
Civil service jobs are considered “public goods” and so the process with which they are distributed becomes extremely important. Between waves of “reform” and “abuse” we’ve ended up with a hybrid patronage/civil service where some jobs are selected blind based upon merit and ability as demonstrated in standardized tests and measures, while other positions require a dog and pony show to “vette” appointees. Kind of like the way they pick University Presidents these days.
The political process actual decreases the likelihood that you will get the best possible candidate (and that the candidate you do get, will stay for a substantial length of time.) That means lower ranked employees with longer tenure are really left to run things while the figure head at the top runs interference and catches flack (for which they earn their higher salary and nice retirement.)
Sounds about right.
In the happy event it isn’t, I think they should promote someone from in the department. I don’t want the Fresno Chief of Police to become the San Jose Chief of Police, as he’s an expert on Fresno, not San Jose. The chief of the SJPD should be a career San Jose cop.
City Manager get to hire and fire city department heads like Police and Fire Chiefs
Read limits on Mayor and Council below
Read City Charter http://www.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/charter.asp#Art7
1) SECTION 701. City Manager; Powers and Duties.
The City Manager shall be the chief administrative officer of the City. He or she shall be responsible to the Council for the administration of City affairs placed in his or her charge by or under this Charter. Without limiting the foregoing general grant of powers, responsibilities and duties, the City Manager shall have the following powers and duties:
(a) Subject to the Civil Service provisions of this Charter and of any Civil Service Rules adopted pursuant thereto, and except as otherwise provided elsewhere in this Charter, the City Manager shall appoint all officers and employees of the City; and, when he or she deems it necessary for the good of the service, the City Manager may, subject to the above-mentioned limitations, suspend without pay, demote, discharge, remove or discipline any City officer or employee who under this Charter is appointed by the City Manager;
(b) Except as otherwise provided elsewhere by this Charter, the City Manager shall direct and supervise the administration of all departments, offices and agencies of the City;
(c) The City Manager shall have the right to attend all meetings of the Council, other than closed executive sessions where the City Manager or another Council appointee is the subject of discussion, and to take part in its discussions, but not to vote. The City Manager shall attend all regular and special meetings of the Council unless prevented by illness or physical incapacity or unless his or her absence has been authorized by the Council;
(d) The City Manager shall be responsible for the faithful execution of all laws, provisions of this Charter, and acts of the Council which are subject to enforcement by the City Manager or by officers who are under the City Manager’s direction and supervision;
(e) The City Manager shall prepare and submit the annual budget to the Council in accordance with the provisions of Section 1204.
Mayor and Council hires and fires City Manager and can adapt a written Policy and City Manager will give proposed Police Chief’s answers to City Council
SECTION 411.1 Department Heads; Policy Objectives; Consent to Hire.
(a) The Council shall adopt a written Statement of Policy for each City Department which is under the administration of the City Manager. Said Statement of Policy shall set forth the broad goals, objectives and aspirations to be accomplished by that Department.
(b) When the position of head of each Department becomes vacant, the Council shall review and, if necessary, amend the previously approved Statement of Policy. The Council also shall adopt a set of questions which are intended to elicit responses from each prospective appointee concerning the goals, objectives and aspirations in the Statement of Policy.
2) SECTION 411. The Council; Interference With Administrative Matters.
Neither the Council nor any of its members nor the Mayor shall interfere with the execution by the City Manager of his or her powers and duties, nor in any manner dictate the appointment or removal of any City officers or employees whom the City Manager is empowered to appoint except as expressly provided in Section 411.1.
However, the Council may express its views and fully and freely discuss with the City Manager anything pertaining to the appointment and removal of such officers and employees.
Except for the purpose of inquiries and investigations under Section 416, the Council, its members and the Mayor shall deal with City officers and employees who are subject to the direction and supervision of the City Manager, City Attorney, City Auditor, Independent Police Auditor or City Clerk, solely through the City Manager, City Attorney, City Auditor, Independent Police Auditor or City Clerk, respectively,
and neither the Council nor its members nor the Mayor shall give orders to any subordinate officer or employee, either publicly or privately.
3) Prior to appointing any Department head, the City Manager shall submit to the Council, for its review, the responses to the Council’s questions submitted by the proposed appointee, and shall seek the Council’s advice and consent.
The appointment shall be made only if the Council, by the affirmative vote of a majority of its members, advises the City Manager that it concurs with the proposed appointment.
This section shall not apply to the appointment of any “acting” department head to serve in an interim capacity.
So it kinda mirrors the advice and consent function of the U.S. Senate on Presidential appointments from Ambassador, Cabinet Officers to Supreme Court. We all probably know how political some of those confirmation votes get.
Here’s hoping that this goes smoothly without undo politicizing what at heart is a career civil service position. I agree that I’d rather have someone from SJ promote up to the slot rather than import talent that may not match our community or the department/city government’s culture.
One of the greatest chief of police that San Jose had, the city will never be safe as it was during Rob Davis time!