Last night, the city of Dallas held a reception and dinner at the Trinity River Audubon Center where the six candidates to replace outgoing Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle underwent what City Manager Mary Suhm referred to as "speed dating." Three of the would-be chiefs come from outside the DPD, so we hung around late into the night's festivities with a digital recorder in hand to ask the three out-of-towners their thoughts on Dallas, as well as three big questions about DPD.
In short, we wondered: What are some good things you see in place in the department? And, some of the bad things? And, um, what do you make of the department's crime stats and the controversy over the DPD and its interpretation of Uniform Crime Report guidelines.
Later today we'll bring you a wrap-up from the whole event -- as well as what Suhm, who has the final word on the new hire, has to say after her individual sit-downs with all six men today. But, for now, after the jump read what the chiefs from Austin, San Jose and Louisville have to say about the good, the bad and the crime stats as they vie for the top spot in Dallas. Suhm, incidentally, told us last night she doesn't have a definitive deadline for appointing a new chief.
Art Avecedo, Chief of Police, Austin
The Good:
"Well, I think the department is in great shape.
Chief Kunkle has done a great job of putting a great team in place. And
one of the things that I love is the thought of working with a bunch of
young officers. Some people see that as a weakness, but I see that as
an opportunity to really mold young minds -- young police minds -- and
hopefully build some professionals who will make this a career and who
will behave and conduct their business in a manner that will make us
proud of them."
The Bad:
"Right now, Dallas is very much like the rest of the country: We're
all facing economic hard times. Obviously there's some lean budget
years potentially coming up for the city, but I think that the people
of the city have been very well-served by the city manager and the
political leadership in that they've been building the department for
the last five or six years. And, because of that growth, we are really
well-positioned to deal with the down years right now. So, even though
I think the budget is a challenge ... we'll be able to weather the storm."
The Stats:
"Quite frankly, the UCR numbers are designed to help police
departments and communities compare themselves to other cities. I feel
personally that what is a value to people and what they really what to
know is not how we stack up against somebody else, but how do we stack
up against ourselves from any given year. So I think that what's
important is that once you pick a methodology -- whatever that may be
-- that you stick with that methodology. Because what people want to
know in Austin or Dallas, no matter where you're at, is: 'Am I safer
this year than I was last year?' And if we're not safer, what are the
challenges and what do we need to do to overcome those challenges.
"To
me, that's the most important issue, and from what I can see, it seems
[DPD] have now picked their methodology and are being consistent, and
that's the key."
Sidenote:
The Austinite complemented the Audubon Center and all the green space that
he'd seen in Dallas, saying that too many people have a misperception
of the city as a "concrete jungle." So there's that.
Robert L. Davis, Chief of Police, San Jose
The Good:
"In terms of what I like in Dallas PD, I like to see that they've
been able to drop the crime rate. And that's been done, I think, through
the leadership of Chief Kunkle and the staff as well. But I like the
idea of having a Real-Time Crime Center -- in other words, a fusion
center -- because if you can keep track of your crime trends, you can
move you're cops to where the trends are going."
The Bad:
"It's not that there's anything that's glaring bad. I think you
have to come in and say, 'Look, there's obviously some things that
they're doing very, very well.' But, I bring experiences from the
outside where I can come in and give things a fresh look -- a fresh set
of eyes to scan the environment. [He paused, briefly.] I have a saying
that goes like this, 'If we always do what we've always done, we'll
always get what we always got.' So, if you're happy with what you're
getting, then just build upon that or enhance it to the extent that you
can.
"But if there's something that you're not liking, then you need to
change something. And that's where you involve all the rank and file,
not just the top [brass], but get everyone in the entire department
involved with coming up with an internal solution and match that up with
some suggestions from the outside, the external solutions, and then
figure out how to deal with the issue. But an outside chief comes in
with different perspective, a fresh set of eyes, to say, "Let's take a
look around and see what we need to do be doing a little bit
differently." And that's what I think I bring to table."
The Stats:
"Well, I think you do what you need to do. We follow, obviously,
the UCR guidelines. But I don't think that what Dallas has been doing
is something to get hypercritical about. They were trying to look
internally and compare Dallas to Dallas, so. But the bottom line for
me is that with the UCR codes, I think you need to follow the
guidelines and then try and measure yourself against others based on
those guidelines."
Sidenote:
When pressed if there were any things that he'd want to work on,
Davis responded: "Just of the top of my head, I really would like to
see if there're some more ways that we can leverage technology." He
went on to talk about updating DPD's Web site and ways to make it
easier to keep area neighborhoods "onboard with changes in crime
patterns," because he said "heightening awareness" is one of the best
ways to prevent crime.
Robert White, Chief of Police, Louisville
The Good:
"One of the things that has really interested me, and why I applied
for the job, is that I really think that Chief Kunkle has set a good
foundation as it relates to the officers and their willingness and
their ability to connect with the community. Obviously, there's more
work to be done as it relates to that, which is one of my priorities,
because the real key to preventing crime is our ability to connect to
the community and to create venues for the community to work with us,
so externally we have to do that, and internally we have to make sure
that we have a department that understands who our customers are and
understands dignity and respect. And I really think Chief Kunkle, and
the department, has come a long way in establishing and making that
happen."
The Bad:
"The first thing I would do is spend a lot of time
listening to people inside and outside of the department. From my
readings, obviously, there's a little bit of a disconnect between the
rank and file and the [department] administration -- which is not all that
unusual, by the way. I've worked in four police departments. That
disconnect is going to exist to some degree, but the goal is to
minimize it as much as possible. ...
"All of us want more police officers. There's not a police chief in America who would tell you, 'I don't want
more police officers.' But the long-term answer to preventing crime is
using the million-plus two eyes and ears of this community as a
resource. That's what we really have to do. The real success in
fighting crime is finding out how you can get the citizens that live in
the community to work with you in addressing issues that are relevant
in their particular neighborhoods."
The Stats:
Would he do things the same way? Or would he change things
up? "I can't say. I would have to look at it [once in Dallas], but
where I'm at now we go by UCR. I think there's some flexibility, in the
interpretation, as it relates to simple assault versus aggravated
assault, but we go by what the requirements are as it relates to UCR."
Sidenote:
He mentioned a program that's been implemented in Louisville that
targets a different crime trend each month. And he also stressed the
importance of re-entry programs for juveniles and adults that seek to
help people turn their lives around.
