A new police chief is expected to be announced next month.
PHOENIX — The City of Phoenix has announced four finalists in the city’s search for the next police chief.
Interim Chief Michael Sullivan and three others made the list of finalists who are in the running to become the first permanent police chief since Jeri Williams left the agency in 2022.
The three other finalists include the following:
Ed DeCastro, an assistant chief with the Phoenix Police Department. He’s a former middle school math teacher.
Casey Johnson, a deputy chief with the Oakland Police Department in California. He’s a former college football player.
Ed Wessing, an assistant chief with the Mesa Police Department. He served in the U.S. Marine Corp.
The four finalists were selected during a nationwide search that involved listening sessions with neighborhood groups and community leaders.
Whomever is ultimately chosen as the next chief will have to lead the agency as the Phoenix Police Department continues to recover from the fallout of a years-long Department of Justice investigation. The critical DOJ report accused the agency of violating the rights of vulnerable populations.
Sullivan, who previously worked for Baltimore Police Department, was selected to preside over the agency after Williams’ departure and has recently made changes to Phoenix’s use-of-force policies.
A local police association has already publicly announced its disapproval of Sullivan when the organization released the results of an internal survey showing several members don’t want Sullivan to remain in charge.
The city is hosting a public forum on March 19 at the Phoenix City Council Chambers where the finalists will answer questions from the community.
A permanent police chief is expected to be selected next month.
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