Police chief candidates speak to community
Jill Abell
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: News
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The forum was held on Wednesday in Washington Square Hall and on Thursday in the Pacifica Room in the Student Union.
William Coker became interim chief of police this past summer and will now be replaced by one of the three candidates.
"The new chief will be hired by Rose Lee, vice president for administration and finance," said Pat Lopes Harris, director of media relations at SJSU.
She said Lee oversees UPD and will be guided by the recommendations of a selection committee, including Student Affairs, Athletics, Public Affairs and Human Resources representatives.
The name will be announced probably no sooner than mid-December, after background and reference checks, and the new chief of police will start in January at the earliest, Harris said.
Nathan Johnson, Eric Sills and Peter Decena were the three contenders for next chief of police.
Leadership, diversity and violence prevention on campus were the three main topics addressed at all three forums.
Some students think the next chief of police should implement changes on campus.
"I think the next chief of police should already have a good idea of the issues at state (SJSU), they should know the environment, and they should have ideas of how to fix those issues," said Jessica Murphey, a junior hospitality management major.
Christopher Salguero, a sophomore graphic design major, said the next chief of police should ban police cruisers from driving through campus during busy hours in the school week.
Nathan Johnson
Nathan Johnson was the first candidate to speak on Wednesday, and he described himself as a "jack of all trades."
Johnson said he has experience in public safety at public, private, community and state colleges, along with careers in different fields.
He said he was the chief of police and senior director of police and parking services at Sonoma State University in 1999.
"Any one of us can probably do the job," Johnson said. "I think the real key is finding who is the best fit for the environment."
He said his personal motto is going beyond what is possible or going beyond expectations.
Leadership
"First and foremost you have to be a good listener," Johnson said. "I think caring about the environment - the culture that may alter the way you approach certain things."
He said he feels a leader needs to have a demeanor that welcomes communication about issues so that others will share potential problems.
"The police need to support the mission of the institution, keeping people succeeding in academics," he said.
Diversity
Johnson said he plans to create a sense of trust between police officers and the community by having officers walking around campus instead of driving around campus in cruisers.
"As you know, being out there, talking with people really helps," he said.
Johnson said he spent two years in Vietnam, studying the communication between police officers and the community.
He said he believes that during that experience, he learned how to increase trust and open communication, which will help overcome some issues that arise with diversity.
Violence Prevention on Campus
Johnson said he plans to institute an active shooting training program at SJSU to prepare for possible future violence.
He said he also plans on having a barbecue each year for SJSU police officers, all faculty and all staff to help build a relationship.
He said if SJSU faculty and staff are comfortable with UPD, they will be more willing to share any red flags of future violence.
Eric Sills
Eric Sills, a justice studies professor at SJSU, was the second candidate to speak on Wednesday.
He said he has held various positions with the San Jose Police Department since 1982.
Casey Byler, a sophomore justice studies major, said he had a class with Sills three semesters ago.
"He was on the force for 12 years before he became a professor, and I think he has the qualities to be a good chief of police," he said. "Sills has charisma, and he's a real leader."
Leadership
Sills said a leader has to be proactive and build an honest dialogue with subordinates.
"I think a good leader is also a good developer, a good mentor," he said. "Leadership is producing more leaders than followers, and I truly believe that as an instructor."
He said a lot of the students he has taught at SJSU have become leaders and police officers.
"My personal philosophy is that we're a team, the university is a team, and we're just one part of the team," he said.
Diversity
Sills said he would form an advisory committee that represents all groups on campus with students, faculty, administration and staff from diverse backgrounds.
"We could meet quarterly and discuss different issues that might arise," he said.
Sills said he is fluent in Spanish, and one of his first acts as chief of police would be to teach everyone in the UPD basic Spanish.
"I'd be very proud to say that this is the first CSU system that has a University Police Department, sworn and not sworn, that has minimal Spanish speaking skills," he said.
He said he plans to implement an open-door policy to make people more comfortable to talk about issues at any time.
"One thing I have noticed is that there really isn't enough interaction between the University Police Department and other departments," he said. "I think over the 12 years I've been here, I've maybe seen one police officer come to the justice studies department."
Sills said he plans on creating opportunities to bring more officers into the classrooms.
He also plans on stressing rules of all departments on campus during freshmen orientation, such as student affairs, counseling, athletics and housing.
Violence Prevention on Campus
"I've been here this last semester, and I've seen the frustrations some students have," he said.
Sills said the recent budget cuts have caused frustrations and stress levels to rise for students, faculty and staff campus wide, which can cause potential violence.
"I know who's a potential problem and who's not, and I think there are flags we can look for as instructors," he said. "As staff members, we need to be able to look for behavioral signs."
Peter Decena
The last candidate to speak was SJSU alumnus Peter Decena on Thursday.
He said he has worked for the San Jose Police Department for 28 years and spent nine years as a command officer.
Decena said he is currently the police captain of the San Jose Police Department.
Leadership
Leadership is all about deliberate decision making, Decena said.
He said he is a believer in collaboration and teambuilding, and that a strong sense of teamwork goes a long way.
"Debate and discussion are really important for deliberate decision making, making decisions that we are comfortable with carrying through until the end," Decena said.
He said working at a university involves a different approach to situations, and that a leader needs to understand the community to learn how to approach situations that arise.
"We are a part of one team, and we have one mission, and that is public safety," he said.
Diversity
Decena said he feels that the University Police Department needs to create a bridge to the diverse community through day-to-day interaction.
He said campus police needs to make an effort at more public exposure and outreach.
"It is essential to have fair, partial policing and discretion when necessary because, again, working at a university entails a different mindset," Decena said.
Violence Prevention on Campus
Decena said he has been involved in active shooting protocol.
"There are accepted standards of how to deal with an active shooter on campus," he said.
He said the MySafeCampus Web site is a tool he would like to implement and advertise because anyone can anonymously report safety hazards, such as campus shootings.
The Web site is an easy method to also report harassment, substance abuse and theft by informing the right people within your institution so action can be taken, he said.
The forum was sponsored by the office of the vice president, administration and finance division.
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