Scores of applicants replied to fill the vacant position of
Morgan Hill’s chief of police when it was posted earlier this year,
according to the city manager’s office.
Scores of applicants replied to fill the vacant position of Morgan Hill’s chief of police when it was posted earlier this year, according to the city manager’s office.
This week, city staff and an employment recruitment firm – Bob Murray & Associates – will begin interviewing those candidates who made a short list of the most qualified possible hires, Morgan Hill city manager Ed Tewes said.
Tewes did not know exactly how many candidates remain in the search, but said the number is manageable for a series of interviews to take place before a permanent police chief is hired by January 2011.
The city’s chief of police position is currently occupied on an interim basis by Dan Ortega, former police chief of Salinas, who retired last year. Ortega began serving in the department’s top spot Sept. 15, and is expected to stay in Morgan Hill only for the four-month interim period before a permanent replacement can be found.
The position became open when former chief Bruce Cumming retired in August. Cumming served as Morgan Hill’s police chief since 2004, when he started as interim chief.
Tewes declined to name any of the applicants for the job.
The job has been highly competitive, as expected, because “Morgan Hill is a good place to work, and a lot of people want to be police chiefs,” Tewes said.
The city manager held a series of public workshops this summer to help him determine what the “ideal qualifications” are for a police chief in Morgan Hill. After that, Tewes met with staff from Bob Murray & Associates to sift through resumes and applications from the initial candidates.
A three-page job description posted on Bob Murray & Associates’ web site said the ideal candidate for Morgan Hill’s chief of police would be “an individual who is respectful, honest, ethical, compassionate and possesses a high level of integrity.”
It said the city is looking for a chief who would keep an “open door policy” with staff, will strive to be involved in the community and has experience working with other city departments. The ideal chief would also be a “skilled communicator and have a proven record of professionalism,” the web site says.
Other qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree, with a Master’s degree preferred, and at least four years of police leadership experience at the level of lieutenant or above.
The city manager still plans to hire a new permanent chief of police by January.
