Warren asks residents for input on hiring new police commissioner – Macomb Daily

Warren’s acting police chief Charles Rushton, seen here at a press conference in April 2024, has led the department since early March. (PHOTO BY SUSAN SMILEY)

Warren Mayor Lori Stone announced four community forums last week where citizens will have the opportunity to voice their opinions on hiring a new police commissioner.

Stone announced the forums last week on social media, inviting citizens to “participate in the search for the next police commissioner.” The social media posts said the discussion would focus on what qualities the ideal candidate should possess.

The forums are scheduled for June 20 at the Burnette Library, June 24 at the Macomb Community College K Building, June 26 at the Warren Community Center, and June 27 as a virtual meeting. All forums begin at 6 p.m.

Multiple requests from the Macomb Daily for information about the format of the forum and how citizen input from those forums will be used in the search for a police commissioner have not been responded to.

Michael Sauger, president of the Warren Police Officers Association, said that while soliciting citizen input is not a common process for hiring police commissioners in Michigan, it is practiced in “some cities” across the United States.

“Some cities are choosing to do a digital survey instead of physical town halls,” Sauger said. “Collecting data and information is always a good idea before making a decision, but what matters most is what decision makers do with that data.”

Boise, Idaho and Los Angeles are among the cities that have asked citizens for their opinions on hiring police chiefs in an online survey. San Diego held a series of citizen forums in January to gather opinions on hiring a police chief.

City leaders in Des Moines, Iowa, held group meetings with community stakeholders and distributed an internal police department survey to begin the hiring process earlier this month.

Sauger said the WPOA had been told its members would be given the opportunity to voice their opinions on the hiring issue during the process.

“The police job market is highly competitive today, and it is not just salary and benefits that attract top officers, but also leadership qualities,” Sauger said.

Warren has been without a permanent police chief since March 5, after then-Commissioner William Dwyer was fired by Stone. Dwyer had announced his intention to retire on April 19 at a police ceremony on March 1 at City Hall.

Warren Deputy Commissioner Charles Rushton has been appointed acting Police Commissioner and currently heads the department.

On May 28, the Warren City Council rejected a request from the city’s Human Resources Department to hire an outside firm, Amy Cell LLC, to recruit candidates for several vacant positions, including that of police commissioner.

City Treasurer Richard Fox said during the city council meeting that the city’s human resources department had advertised the vacant department heads, including that of police chief, and had received some applications, but Stone felt that those applicants “just didn’t have the talent.”

Stone did not specify whether applications for the police commissioner position would be made public.