What did city officials know about the 3 finalists for Raleigh police chief?
The city of Raleigh knew about the bankruptcy filing by a finalist for police chief but will not say when it learned about multiple complaints and lawsuits filed against him.
The city conducted the search for a new chief in house, instead of using an outside consultant to recommend a successor for Chief Estella Patterson, whose last day on the job is Saturday.
Joshua Wallace, commander of the criminal network group in the Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, is one of three finalists who could replace Patterson.
The other two finalists are Rico Boyce, the Raleigh Police Department’s deputy chief of administration, and Sonia Russell, the Detroit Police Department’s commander of Crime Control Strategies.
Wallace filed for bankruptcy last year and also has faced dozens of complaints over two decades with the Chicago Police Department, including six lawsuits, The News & Observer reported. Only one of those complaints, a use of force allegation, was sustained, according to data gathered by the nonprofit news outlet Invisible Institute.
‘We are aware’
Members of Raleigh’s hiring team spoke with Wallace about the “financial issues and were comfortable with his answers,” said Robin Deacle, communications director for the city.
“We are aware of what’s been publicly written about our candidates for chief of police,” Deacle wrote in a second email when asked about the complaints and lawsuits. “Because of the confidentiality of the hiring process, we can’t say more on this topic at this time.”
Deacle declined to say when the city became aware of those issues because it gets “into the confidential part of the vetting process.”
Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell met the three candidates at an informal gathering before a public forum Monday night.
“They disclosed that, and I know that was a consideration. The city manager and I talked about that before I met the candidate,” Cowell told The N&O. “I think they did dive into some of that and were satisfied enough with his answers that he could be part of this process.”
The Raleigh City Council can provide input on the police chief candidates, but it is up to the city manager to hire department heads. The council only hires for three positions: the city clerk, the city attorney and the city manager.
“I’m still open to considering candidates if they have good answers for some of those things,” Cowell said. “But obviously it’s something that has to be explored. And I’m sure the city manager and team is continuing to talk about that.”
Hiring process
Patterson announced her retirement in mid-December.
Applications for the police chief position opened Jan. 24 and closed on Feb. 14. The city received 51 applications from 20 states and Canada.
“During this week, we evaluated the applications and had (five) candidates speak with several panels that included law enforcement, community leaders and City leadership,” Deacle said. “From those discussions, the hiring team led by the City Manager chose the three finalists who participated in (Monday) night’s meeting.”
The city did not hire an outside consultant to conduct the police chief search.
“We have previously used a consultant for high-level hires,” Deacle said. “For this one, we thought the blend of community and law enforcement perspectives could be best facilitated by the City Manager’s office. We are pleased with the range of input we received, including nearly 1,000 responses to our community survey.”
The city used Public Sector Search & Consulting Inc. to hire Patterson, costing $45,000.
“The City Manager’s Office knows Raleigh and has good connections in the City,” Deacle said Wednesday. “With that familiarity, they put together interview panels that represent the breadth of community perspectives. The City Manager’s Office in partnership with our Human Resources department has run recent successful searches for two assistant city managers, fire chief, and multiple department directors.
A new police chief will be named “as soon as possible,” Deacle said.
“There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes in the hiring process,” Deacle said. “For this one, our hiring team dedicated concentrated attention to the review, vetting and selection process. We continue to scrutinize the candidates for this important position for the community, which does take time. This is why we don’t have a date for an announcement beyond ‘as soon as we can.’”
Cowell called the timeline “intense” but said there were “a lot of touch points and public input.”
NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com
