It’s been over 5 months and the Police and Fire Commission has had a dozen meetings since Chief Koval resigned and still no plan for the hiring process has been announced, no search firm has been hired, there hasn’t even been an call for applications (RFP or Request for Proposals.)
Reading the agendas and minutes give us no clues about what is going on except that they are hiring a search firm and want to work with the Local Voices Network. There is no timeline, no further information. There certainly seems to be no sense of urgency to fill this position and the Local Voices Network process will take a significant amount of time.
FEBRUARY
There were two meetings in February, but 2/19/20 was just a notice of quorum for a community meeting on safety.
2/10/20 had this agenda item:
However, there are no minutes available, no attachments with the agenda item. And, even tho the 3/9 agenda has approval of the 2/10/20 minutes, they are not attached.
JANUARY
There were two meetings in January. 1/13 they didn’t have anything related to the police chief hire on their agenda. There was a special working session on January 29th.
1/29 – Special Working Session, and noticed to go into closed session for one of the items.
- Working Session regarding Police Chief Appointment Process, but there is nothing in the attachments, its a link decoy.
The minutes simply say:
City Purchasing staff facilitated the development of the scoring rubric for submitted proposals.Commissioners discussed the timeline for considering proposals and possible locations for four public listening sessions
- Contemplated closed session pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(e) to discuss and take action, if appropriate, related to outside search firms where competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session – there is nothing in that link.
The minutes indicate:
A motion was made by Boggess, seconded by Hamdan, to convene into closed session. The motion passed by voice vote/other.
and
A motion was made by Hamdan, seconded by Boggess, to reconvene into open session. The motion passed by voice vote/other.
There is no indication of if they decided anything in closed session.
DECEMBER
On 12/30/19 they had a special working session with these two items
- Working Session regarding Police Chief Appointment Process – no attachments in the link.
Minutes indicate:
The commissioners discussed the process and criteria for selecting a search firm. They also discussed the timeline for the Local Voices Network input gathering process.
- Contemplated closed session pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(e) to discuss and take action, if appropriate, related to outside search firms where competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session – no attachments in the link.
Minutes indicate
No closed session was required.
On 12/20 was a notice of quorum for Fire Department graduation and there are no minutes.
On 12/17 they had lunch with Assistant Chief Tracy Burrus and Division Chief Chris Carbon. The minutes indicate they had a general discussion with the two of them.
On 12/9 they had this item on their agenda.
-
Police Chief Recruitment – update on Local Voices Network and IT support.. There is nothing in the legistar link.
Minutes indicate as follows:
Staff reported back on the progress made by the City IT department on providing resources for the search process. The commissioners discussed what materials might be helpful for the new website.
Commissioner Boggess provided an update on discussions with the Local Voices Network. The commissioners discussed the potential scope of community conversations.
The commissioners will hold a special working meeting on December 30.
NOVEMBER
11/21 is indicated to be a special meeting and they have this on the agenda with nothing in the link for attachments.
-
Discussion of the process and criteria for selecting an outside firm to assist with the Chief of Police hiring process, including:
a) Discussion with Herman Goldstein
b) Presentation by Local Voices Network (LVN) regarding resources to assist with obtaining public input
The minutes indicate the following:
Herman Goldstein appeared via telephone. Mr Goldstein answered questions about his experience working with police departments around the country. He presented his thoughts about what the commissioners should look for in a new Chief of Police.
Colleen Butler from the Local Voices Network presented on their process for collecting community input and answered questions about their work. She demonstrated the “hearth” techonology that they use.
Attorney Jenna Rousseau distributed a copy of a sample proposal from an outside search firm.
Deputy Mayor Cam McLay was present to answer questions about city resources available to the Commission.
On 11/11 they had this item on the agenda
The minutes are the most extensive I could find:
Using an outside firm:
President Enemuoh-Trammell reported that the Board did not use an outside search firm in the previous hiring process. Commissioner Hamdan recommended hiring an outside search firm to enhance transparency and to involve the community as much as possible. Attorney Paulsen noted that because the anticipated expenditure would be less than $50,000, it is under the MGO threshold for a formal RFP process. Several firms have reached out to the Commission already. Deputy Mayor Cam McLay noted that he is aware of several such firms by reputation.
President Enemuoh-Trammell noted that the Board should determine what criteria and qualities it is seeking for an outside search firm. The Commissioners discussed scheduling a Special Meeting for this purpose. President Enemuoh-Trammell noted the importance of having a national search. Commissioner Boggess noted that the firms that submitted letters of interest did not list expertise in issues of race.
Commissioner Jackson affirmed the need to include broad community feedback for the hiring, but not necessarily for the selection of a search firm. Commissioner Hamdan noted that the Board will need to be closely involved with directing the work of a search firm.
In addition to a special meeting, Commissioner Hamdan proposed that written feedback can be solicited from local experts who may not be available in person.
Attorney Paulsen requested that the special meeting determine a specific scope of work to assist her in drafting an eventual contract.
Timeline:
President Enemuoh-Trammell noted that the selection of a firm may impact the timeline. Commissioner Hamdan noted that in the past, the minimum timeline would be six months. The commissioners agreed that a decision should be made on a search firm at the January 13, 2020 meeting.
Community Engagement:
Commissioner Boggess reported that the Local Voices Network staff is available to present on community input and engagement possibilities at the December 9, 2019 meeting. In addition to this process, the commissioners agreed that no fewer than four community listening sessions, located outside of downtown, should be scheduled. Commissioner Hamdan suggested a Spanish-language call-in show on La Movida to better engage the Latino community. President Enemuoh-Trammell suggested that WORT could also be approached for an English-language call-in show. Written submissions can be solicited by distributing a specific set of questions to community organizations and the public. Commissioner Jackson noted that the Board will need a plan to review the feedback that is solicited. Commissioner Boggess suggested that community organizations could be asked to solicit and summarize submissions from their constituencies. Commissioner Jackson noted that a search firm could advise on outreach efforts and assist in compiling feedback. Commissioner Boggess suggested that questions should include broader visions of the department, and not just criteria for a new Chief. The commissioners brainstormed organizations to reach out to including: the Madison Professional Police Officers Association (MPPOA); the Madison Metropolitan School District; Madison Teachers, Inc (MTI); groups representing various communities; victim rights organizations; after-school organizations, neighborhood centers, and youth organizations.
President Enemuoh-Trammell noted that broad outreach and feedback is an investment towards community buy-in in the process. Commissioner Hamdan noted that the five commissioners can split up community group meetings. Commissioner Jackson noted the importance of the commissioners being visible throughout the process. Commissioner Boggess noted that there will be conflicting feedback from various groups and organizations. She noted that the commission needs to ensure that everyone feels heard, even though the commission will have to make decisions that will not please everyone. Commissioner Gundlach asked Deputy Mayor McLay for a list of other communities who have hired for progressive values. Deputy Mayor McLay suggested that the commissioners could review job postings for other cities to see how well various vendors have aligned their postings with the values of the community. This could be part of the selection process for the search firm. Commissioner Gundlach asked Lt Marshall if there were any formal constituency groups within MPPOA. Lt Marshall reported that there were not, but that the Madison Police Department has affinity groups, such as MPD Pride, that could be solicited for input. Retired Officer Advisory Resources (ROAR) is an organization that can be solicited for input.
OCTOBER
In October they met on 10/30, 10/14 (nothing in the minutes) and 10/4 (nothing in the minutes), only 10/30 had this item on the agenda.
10/30 had this item – again, no attachments in the link:
The minutes indicate:
General process and timeline:
President Trammell reported on her meeting with the Mayor’s office. Commissioners engaged in general discussion regarding options for obtaining input from the community and various organizations in the recruitment process, including holding listening sessions in each part of the City at accessible locations, as well as providing opportunities for written comments. Commissioners also engaged in general discussion regarding how to interpret and aggregate the data obtained from the community and organizations. Commissioner Boggess will be speaking with Local Voices Network (LVN) and will explore the possibility of LVN presenting at a future meeting. President Trammell will be speaking with Harper Donahue, Director of Human Resources, regarding what resources are available to assist the Board and what venues are available to hold public listening sessions. Commissioners engaged in discussion regarding inviting Herman Goldstein to provide feedback on the recruitment process that the Board selects. President Trammell will be e-mailing Mr. Goldstein. Other Commissioners also reported on their respective meetings with the Mayor’s office. Commissioner Jackson noted that there will likely be 2-3 internal candidates, based on a telephone discussion that he had with a Captain. Commissioners discussed that the recruitment process will be open to internal and external candidates.
Outside search firms:
Commissioners engaged in general discussion regarding whether to use an outside search firm to assist with the recruitment process. Commissioners felt that more information is needed at this point, including determining whether the Board utilized an outside search firm in the past. Commissioner Trammell will be following up with Commissioner Hamdan and potentially Scott Herrick to obtain more information on how the process was conducted in the past. Commissioners also expressed that it will be important to set the parameters in advance on what the Board is looking for and then invite proposals from outside search firms.
On the 14th is when they appointed Vic Wahl to be the acting chief:
A motion was made by Jackson, seconded by Boggess, to convene into closed session to discuss item 4. The motion passed by voice vote/other.
A motion was made by Hamdan, seconded by Gundlach, to Reconvene into open session. The motion passed by voice vote/other.
A motion was made by Jackson, seconded by Gundlach, to designate Assistant Chief Vic Wahl as the Department officer who is temporarily authorized to act as Chief of Police until such time as the Board makes a permanent appointment to the Chief of Police position. The motion passed by voice vote/other.
And here is their public statement on hiring the Acting Chief. At that time, nearly 5 monhts ago, they had this to say:
Commissioners will now be undertaking the process to appoint Chief Koval’s successor. The Board will announce its recruitment, testing, and evaluation plans in the near future. As part of the process, the Board anticipates that it will actively seek comment regarding the needs of the City and the Madison Police Department from members of the public, government officials, academic and professional experts, and members of the Madison Police Department. The Board anticipates that it will hold several public listening sessions, and that it will also receive written comments. Further information will be provided once it is available.
SEPTEMBER
This is the September 29th blog of Chief Koval where he resigned. He appointed Vic Wahl his replacement, even though he had no authority to do so.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?
There must be additional information somewhere? I emailed the staff of the PSRC to inquire, but it wasn’t until late yesterday and I haven’t heard back. They will be discussing again at their meeting on Monday.
