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Commission launches chief search outreach; Anderson & Associates to run recruitment and community meetings
Summary
Anderson & Associates presented a 45‑day recruitment plan for the police chief search, including five community meetings, translated surveys and department outreach; commissioners highlighted residency, diversity, translation and station‑level outreach concerns.
The Police Commission advanced plans for the selection of the next San Francisco police chief after hearing a presentation from Anderson & Associates on recruitment and community outreach.
The firm proposed an aggressive recruitment timetable with a roughly 45‑day public application window, community and department surveys, five geographically distributed noticed community meetings in August and additional outreach to officers and neighborhood groups. The firm said it would summarize survey results and meeting notes, provide translated materials and make printed surveys available at selected stations and public sites for those without internet access.
Commissioners pushed back on several brochure items and asked the firm to refine language to reflect San Francisco's multicultural population and to avoid implying unrealistic residency requirements without city‑attorney review. Several commissioners and public commenters urged robust, multilingual outreach (libraries, barbershops, neighborhood stores), in‑person station visits and use of neighborhood papers and social media to reach residents who do not attend commission meetings.
Commissioners agreed that raw applicant résumés would be made available to the commission (A–Z) rather than relying solely on a pre‑screen by the search firm, and asked Anderson & Associates to coordinate translation and to work with commissioners on community meeting locations and notice. The Commission also agreed to allow commissioners to do small‑group, noticed meetings (two to three commissioners per session) to encourage candid community input and to reach constituencies that historically do not attend central meetings.
Anderson & Associates clarified that it had participated in the Oakland search but that local decisions ultimately rested with each city; the firm said it has a record of diverse placements and will work with commissioners to refine the brochure language and outreach.
