Police commission outlines confidential nationwide search for new chief; some commissioners object

San Francisco — The San Francisco Police Commission on Feb. 25 described a confidential, nationwide search process to recommend up to three finalists to the mayor for the city’s next police chief, while a commissioner and several public commenters warned against early mayoral influence.

Commission President Theresa Sparks said the commission will hire an executive search firm (Bob Murray & Associates, with the Police Executive Research Forum as subcontractor), develop a candidate profile from community and employee input, advertise nationally and place applicants into three categories for confidential vetting and background checks.

"All applicants have to come through the search firm," Sparks said, outlining steps that include anonymized candidate summaries and a stacking process in which the commission will decide which applicants merit further review. The commission plans to brief — not cede decision-making to — the mayor’s office during the process, Sparks added, while preserving candidate confidentiality.

Commissioner De Aziz objected to allowing the mayor’s office to sit in on early vetting. "If the charter wanted the mayor in on the process, it would have included the mayor in the process," she said, arguing the commission should vet candidates independently and warning that early access could invite politicking.

Other commissioners defended the approach as pragmatic. They said briefing the mayor’s office on progress would reduce the risk that the mayor would reject the commission’s finalists and force the search to restart, a delay they argued the city can ill afford while the department prepares for a leadership transition.

Public commenters echoed the split. Winship Hillier said early collaboration would risk the commission being blamed if the mayor later rejects nominees; Diana Greer asked the commission to define what 'collaboration' with the mayor means in practice.

Sparks said she would agendize the discussion and a vote next week on whether to proceed with the proposed briefing structure. The commission also announced a series of neighborhood meetings and roll-call visits to solicit community input that will inform the search firm’s candidate profile.

If the commission proceeds as described, the search firm will run advertisements, collect applications, perform preliminary interviews and background checks on top-tier candidates, and return a confidential shortlist to the commission for private interview and final nomination to the mayor.

The commission emphasized confidentiality throughout the process and said applicants who solicit commissioners directly could be removed from consideration.