Dallas Police Chief Search

[gc]

Dallas police chief search to be unlike last one
Benavides, who didn't even interview Bolton, says he'll be thorough
09:24 PM CDT on Saturday, September 6, 2003
By DAVE MICHAELS and COLLEEN McCAIN NELSON / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/090703dnmetbenavides.20596.html

On a hot day in August 1999, Dallas City Manager Ted Benavides paid a quick visit to the Farmers Market to inform a group of Dallas police commanders that Terrell Bolton would be their next chief.

Just like that.

Everyone in attendance, including retiring Chief Ben Click, was surprised. Despite an early promise of a national search, it wasn't conducted. The city manager never issued a call for resumes – even within the city – and offered no others an opportunity to interview for the position.

Mr. Bolton's former colleagues later learned that Mr. Benavides had not even interviewed Mr. Bolton.

"I'd known him over 20 years," Mr. Benavides said Friday. "Having worked with him closely, I thought he was the best person for the job."

Now that he has fired Mr. Bolton, after a string of department scandals and personal missteps by the chief, the city manager is again looking for a police chief.

Mr. Benavides is promising to consult the City Council about issues such as whether to hire a national search firm. He said the candidates would be thoroughly scrutinized and would be subjected to an extensive background check. The council's input, as well as the community's, will be integral to the search.

"I think it's going to be a very involved process," Mr. Benavides said. "We're going to put everybody through the same sieve."

Mr. Benavides said that in recent years, the city has become more aggressive in vetting job candidates.

"As we go on, we're being more and more scrupulous about checking their credit histories, background checks, checking on diplomas," he said. "We're just being more and more thorough, I think. It's just a function of public business. We have to be more strict."

When Mr. Benavides hired his last chief, he consulted Mayor Ron Kirk, who encouraged the manager to follow his instincts. Mr. Kirk, however, said he quickly grew weary of Mr. Bolton's mistakes.

Thinking about decision


When Mr. Benavides was hired in June 1998, he knew that one of his first challenges would be to find a police chief.
Mr. Click had told Mr. Kirk that he would retire, perhaps by the end of Mr. Kirk's first mayoral term in 1999.

"I told him from the day he took the job, he needed to start thinking about the type of person he wanted for police chief," Mr. Kirk said this week. "We knew we were going to have to replace Ben Click."

In July 1999, Mr. Benavides' assistant city manager said that the city would consider internal and external candidates.

"A city this large and dynamic needs to look at all the possible candidates inside as well as outside," said Charles Daniels, who remains in charge of the city's public safety departments.

Mr. Benavides has said in legal depositions that he thought about other internal candidates, citing some by name. After hiring three police chiefs from other cities, there was a strong feeling that Dallas was ready to promote one of its own, Mr. Benavides said.

The new manager considered Mr. Bolton, a gregarious man with contacts in many communities, to be the one most likely to carry out Mr. Click's philosophy of outreach.

"I thought it was the right way to go," Mr. Benavides said. "Other times, I've had national searches, and sometimes you don't get the right person."

Mr. Kirk said his questions about Mr. Bolton were "whether he had the mental toughness and the management skills to go along with his personality."

When Mr. Benavides asked for advice about skipping a national search, Mr. Kirk blessed the idea. Dallas had hired several city managers, including Mr. Benavides, without any search.

"My counsel was that if he felt that strongly about the chief, then name him," Mr. Kirk said. "I just was not a big believer in having a national search just to make everybody feel good."

Bolton disappoints Kirk


Soon after taking office, Mr. Bolton made several moves that either cost the city money or upset its relationship with other government agencies.
His decision to demote nine veteran commanders cost the city about $5.5 million in legal settlements. He angered the department's federal colleagues when he removed his intelligence unit from its office in the FBI's Dallas headquarters, saying he wanted more oversight over the unit's affairs.

Last week, Mr. Benavides revealed that he and Mr. Kirk had to repair the city's relationship with the FBI.

Mr. Kirk said he would have supported a decision to fire the chief in November 2001, when Mr. Kirk resigned to run for the U.S. Senate.

"By the time I had resigned, I had seen enough," Mr. Kirk said. "I would have supported Ted coming in and saying, 'It is time to make a change.' "

Mr. Kirk said he and the manager never had that conversation.

"We were too busy cleaning up all his messes, I guess," the former mayor said.

Mr. Benavides recalled Mr. Kirk's disappointment with Mr. Bolton.

"The mayor told me several times that he wasn't exactly very pleased," Mr. Benavides said. "But he always ended with, 'That's your job.' "

Some of Mr. Bolton's most ardent supporters continue to question his firing. Commissioner John Wiley Price said Mr. Bolton should have been given a written set of standards to guide his performance.

Although Mr. Benavides released a list of the reasons he fired Mr. Bolton – which included insubordination – Mr. Price characterized them as subjective because they were not part of a performance review.

"If, in fact, you have been No. 1 [in the country] in crime for 13 years," he said, "you need to say, 'You need to drop crime by two points this year. What do you expect to do?' "

Mr. Benavides said he considered setting specific performance goals for Mr. Bolton but decided against it. He said it is uncommon in government to put high-ranking executives on a performance contract.

On one occasion, Mr. Daniels graded Mr. Bolton's performance. In February 2002, Mr. Daniels wrote that the chief met or exceeded objectives on all tasks, including reduction of crime, leadership and innovation.

At the time, Dallas had the highest crime rate among the nation's big cities.

"You performed your duties as police chief with dignity and determination," Mr. Daniels wrote.

Mr. Benavides is promising an extensive background check of the crop of candidates for police chief. Their educational background and financial histories would be checked out, he said.

The city, he said, has become more cautious in recent years.

He is still undecided about whether to hire a search firm, what the hiring process should entail and how long the search should last.

But there is no longer the feeling that the next chief must come from inside the Police Department.

"I don't think we have that feeling right now," Mr. Benavides said.

E-mail dmichaels@dallasnews.com and mccain@dallasnews.com

[JBB]

Originally posted by GCarey
Benavides, who didn't even interview Bolton, says he'll be thorough


Doesn't this statement make you wish the Council would go ahead and send Ted to the unemployment line before he has the chance to get involved in the search?

[tnf]

its going to be an uphill struggle for the underpaid and undermanned DPD. the new chief will have to lover crime rates and not do those silly fake drug busts, of which mr. bolton had plenty of. im still not sure he was the best choice in the first place, and i cant wait till the next one is elected, but i hope the mayor and the new one get a long, because otherwise were in for a llong and not fun ride, folks! -nick

[gc]

Irving police chief seeks top Dallas job
10:53 PM CST on Friday, January 9, 2004
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/011004dnmetapplicants.1ae95.html

Irving's police chief said he has applied for the top job in Dallas, which could mark a return to the department he served for 28 years.

Chief Lowell Cannaday, 66, was a Dallas assistant police chief before retiring in 1994. He was twice passed over for Dallas chief in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Since 1994, he has been chief of police in Irving, which has about 325 officers on the force.

Chief Cannaday will join at least 12 other applicants for the Dallas position. Dallas officials say they may hire a chief by May. They're looking for a replacement for Terrell Bolton, who was fired last August.
Chief Cannaday said he looks forward to the selection process.

"I'd like to think I have a reputation for integrity and fairness," said Chief Cannaday, who submitted his application Friday.

Chief Cannaday joins a growing list of contenders for the top spot.

Recent applicants include two high-ranking Dallas police officials, according to city records released Friday: Troy McClain, deputy chief of the department's tactical section, and Daniel V. Garcia, deputy chief for central operations.

Darren T. Yarbrough, director of safety and security for the U.S. Department of Labor's Jobs Corps Center in Detroit, also applied this week.

Officer Dan Miller, president of Irving's Fraternal Order of Police, offered high praise Friday for Chief Cannaday, saying he has an impeccable reputation in law enforcement.

"He's just a good person," said Officer Miller, a 26-year Irving police veteran. "He's kind of like a policeman's policeman."

Irving Mayor Joe Putnam said Chief Cannaday is a good administrator with good people skills and strong credentials.

"We're very lucky to have someone of his caliber here," he said.

Acting Dallas Chief Randy Hampton said this week that he planned to apply for the top job permanently.

Staff writer Dave Levinthal contributed to this report.

Here are the current applicants:

• Louis A. Cobarruviaz, an anti-crime coordinator in El Salvador
• Evelyn F. Daniel, an unemployed receptionist
• Steve Elwonger, Dallas police patrol officer
• Daniel V. Garcia , Dallas deputy police chief
• Troy McClain, Dallas deputy police chief
• David Moore, a former Jackson, Miss., officer
• Roseanna Renaud , a Dallas police lieutenant
• Rick Stone, a former chief in Hollywood, Fla.
• David Sullivan , a Dallas officer
• Tommy W. Tunson, a community college police chief in California
• Louis Vega, a Miami assistant chief
• Darren T. Yarbrough, director of safety and security for the U.S. Department of Labor's Jobs Corps Center
*Applications released by Dallas officials

[dallastophoenix]

i keep wondering why we still have benevides, as well... i guess there's the hispanic racial concerns...

[gc]

Three on Dallas force among 12 chief finalists
Arlington city official, DISD police chief also make cut from list of 71
08:48 PM CST on Tuesday, March 30, 2004
By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/033104dnmetchiefs.d91949d6.html

Now it's down to 12.

The city of Dallas has narrowed the list of police chief candidates from 71 applicants, and the finalists include three from the Dallas force: Interim Chief Randy Hampton, Deputy Chief Daniel Garcia and Assistant Chief Thomas Ward.

Other local candidates who made the cut were David Kunkle, deputy city manager in Arlington, and Manuel Vasquez, chief of police for the Dallas Independent School District.

Mr. Vasquez is the former third in command of the Dallas Police Department who received a $900,000 settlement after being demoted by former Chief Terrell Bolton. Mr. Bolton was fired by City Manager Ted Benavides in August.

The rest of the candidates are active or former law enforcement officers in cities across the country, from Minneapolis to Miami.

Mayor Laura Miller said that she was pleased with the variety of candidates and that she wouldn't rule out an applicant from the Dallas Police Department.

"If somebody inside gets it, it's got to be somebody who's got some fresh ideas about what to do," she said. "We've got to have somebody new with new energy and fresh ideas coming in and taking charge of this department."

The city plans to interview each candidate in April and choose a chief by the end of May, officials said. The schedule will be worked out at a Public Safety Committee meeting Monday.

The candidates were chosen with help from a search firm, Slavin Management Consultants, which will conduct background checks. City Manager Ted Benavides and two assistant city managers will interview the candidates.

The candidates also will meet with the police association and a community panel Mr. Benavides is creating, said Sharon De La Garza, director of human resources for the city of Dallas.

Candidates said they looked forward to moving ahead.

"To make the final 12, I'm excited about it, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the process," Chief Garcia said. "Not only is that good for us as candidates but for the department. I think it'd be nice to put that decision behind us."

Mr. Kunkle served as the Arlington police chief from 1985 to 1999 and in Grand Prairie from 1982 to 1985. He was with the Dallas force for 10 years and left as a captain.

"I'm certainly excited to be one of the finalists and have the opportunity to interview," he said.

Assistant Chief Kevin Robinson of Phoenix was one of two candidates who dropped out of the process, then reapplied at Ms. Miller's request. Chief Robinson made the cut. The second candidate, Miami Assistant Police Chief Louis A. Vega, did not.

"The city of Dallas and the Dallas Police Department are offering a wonderful opportunity, and I am excited about competing in their process for their police chief position," Chief Robinson said.

Other notable applicants who didn't become finalists included Dallas Deputy Chief William Turnage, Dallas Deputy Chief Troy McClain, McKinney Police Chief Douglas Kowalski, Irving Police Chief Lowell Cannaday and Memphis' director of police, James Bolden.

Ms. De La Garza said she did not expect any other candidates to surface. Although she did not have the racial or ethnic makeup of the candidates, Ms. De La Garza said the ability to work with residents from different cultural backgrounds will be an important asset.

Staff writer Katie Menzer contributed to this report.

E-mail khorner@dallasnews.com

FINALISTS

William B. Berger, current chief of police in North Miami Beach, Fla.

Louie C. Caudell, former chief of police in Little Rock, Ark.

Louis A. Cobarruviaz, a program manager for the U.S. Department of Justice

Daniel V. Garcia, a current deputy chief in Dallas

Randy R. Hampton, current interim chief in Dallas

David M. Kunkle, deputy city manager in Arlington

Bernard K. Melekian, chief of police in Pasadena, Calif.

Robert K. Olson, current chief of police in Minneapolis

Kevin Robinson, assistant chief in Phoenix

Manuel Vasquez, current chief of the Dallas ISD police

Thomas A. Ward, an assistant chief in Dallas

Norman D. Williams, current chief of police in Wichita, Kan.

[barrycb]

Other than the guy from Minneapolis, it looks like a pretty weak list to me.

[JaeTex]

Pretty weak is kind, and I understand that's after Miller had to talk the minneapolis and miami beach guys into resubmitting their application after they withdrew.

[dallastophoenix]

perhaps i misunderstand this whole scenario, but doesn't the ever incompetent ted benevides have the power to hire the new police chief?

if that's true, then this entire process started off wrong (wasn't the city, uh, benevides using a small town staffing firm, and therefore not generating enough "quality" interest? - mistake #1). So we start off w/ a sh***y list, and then benevides (the same guy that promoted the equally incompetent bolton) hires his best choice from this list (mistake #2)??

when does the city's and dallas police dept.'s embarrassment stop?

[gc]

Benavides made cuts from Dallas chief list
Firm had contacted 15 about job; city manager defends his action
10:23 PM CST on Wednesday, March 31, 2004
By JASON TRAHAN and KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/040104dnmetchieflist.7612.html

The math is getting a little bit tricky as Dallas continues to narrow the search list for a new police chief. They're in, they're out, and sometimes candidates are both in the same week.

The city and Slavin Management Consultants acknowledged Wednesday that the list of chief candidates given to City Manager Ted Benavides is not the same list the city released Tuesday.

Mr. Benavides, who will hire the next chief, defended his right to tinker with the list, saying he and two assistant city managers removed names as a compromise to get the best mix of local and national qualified candidates.

"Mr. Slavin did his job. We did our job," Mr. Benavides said. "I still have the responsibility to make the choice."

But the search firm had contacted 15 people on the list and told them they were being recommended for interviews – including at least two Dallas police alums later culled by Mr. Benavides – before Tuesday's public release of the 12 names.

"None of those people were told they were finalists," Robert Slavin, owner of the search firm, insisted Wednesday evening. But he acknowledged that he had sent their names to the city manager.

Rick Stone, Lowell Cannaday and at least one other candidate were removed from the names Slavin gave Mr. Benavides. The search agency and Mr. Benavides said those 15 names were never set in stone.

Mr. Slavin said his staff called all 15 people he recommended to the city to let them know where they stood on Tuesday, including the men who were removed from the running by Mr. Benavides.

"It's very embarrassing," said Mayor Laura Miller, who added that she felt terrible that the officers' expectations were raised unrealistically. "Slavin should never have made those phone calls."

Mr. Stone, former chief in Hollywood, Fla., and in Wichita, Kan., said he was told before the release of the finalist list Tuesday that he was a top candidate for the job. His name was not on the list.

"Based on my conversations with many individuals today, I believe that I remain a viable candidate for the police chief's position in Dallas," he said in a statement. "It is apparent that we are at a sensitive stage in the selection process."

"I would not want to do or say anything that would prevent me from earning the privilege to demonstrate in a final interview the deep commitment and compassion that I have" for the job, he said.

Chief Cannaday, police chief in Irving, could not be reached for comment.

The search for a new chief to replace Terrell Bolton, fired in August, has been fraught with missteps. Before Tuesday's finalists announcement, a prominent candidate from the Los Angeles Police Department was put on the list but says he did not formally apply. His name was removed.

Candidates from Miami and Phoenix dropped out after some city leaders criticized the overall applicant list as lackluster.

Then, at the behest of Ms. Miller, they reapplied and were allowed to rejoin the list after the application deadline had passed.

Gary Sykes, director of the Plano-based Institute for Law Enforcement Administration, said for the city to spend $25,000 to hire a search firm, then apparently disregard its recommendations, is unusual.

"If you are going to make the selection anyway, why hire a firm?" Mr. Sykes said. "It's so extraordinary that you would alter the list of candidates, after you've hired a firm to select the best candidates. There needs to be some explanation or justification for changing the list."

The head of the largest Dallas police officer association said Wednesday that excluding people from the list after telling them they were finalists was low.

"It's just another shadow of doubt cast on this process," said Senior Cpl. Glenn White, president of the Dallas Police Association.

"In spite of all this, the list of candidates is a good one," he said. "It includes people on the inside, too. We just need to get a new chief. This is such a mess."

Officer Arnaldo Rivera, spokesman for the Dallas Fraternal Order of Police, said he believes that the controversy indicates that the process is rigged.

"We have been saying for three weeks that Ted Benavides has had his candidate picked the whole time," Officer Rivera said. "Ted will throw the Hispanic community a bone and offer them [Deputy Chief Daniel] Garcia, because of the fake drug scandal."

He says his membership doesn't favor any of the internal candidates.

"The police officers are looking for a leader that has nothing to do with the current scandals," he said. "If they put an internal candidate in, moral will sink to the lowest in its history."

[tamtagon]

THat's so disappointing. I'm glad Benavides seems to understand his job mandates decisiveness, but his news worthy actions have only streghtened his campaign to join the Three Stodges. The whole selection process will now demand the new chief to be preoccupied as an effective departmental peace keeper and motivational leader rather than an effective force in reducing crime.

[Quiz03]

How much more evidence of sheer incompetence is needed before the city council gets some backbone and fires teddy. If someone incompetent is going to be the city chief executive it should at least be the mayor, they're accountable directly to the people.

[freewaytincan]

On a hot day in August 1999, Dallas...

So where'd that line come from, the Dept. of Redundancy Dept?

[JBB]

For any doubters left out there, another reason to exclude current department staff from the final list.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/040304dnmetgorillaside.1c1f2.html

Police had zoo training video, but it wasn't shown to all

Miscommunication is blamed; patrol officers now have tapes


09:03 PM CST on Friday, April 2, 2004


From Staff Reports



More than a year ago, the Dallas Police Department agreed to have every officer see a 10-minute training video on what to do when an animal gets loose at the Dallas Zoo.

Trouble is, not every officer watched it, as evidenced by the March 18 escape of Jabari the gorilla. According to written statements by zoo employees, obtained by The Dallas Morning News, officers ran past agreed upon checkpoints at the park and distracted zoo staffers as they tried to surround and subdue the gorilla.

The 350-pound gorilla was shot and killed by tactical officers after Jabari charged them. Although the tactical officers had undergone training exercises with the zoo staff, it was the actions of patrol officers that concerned zoo officials.

Dallas Mayor Laura Miller, who believes tactical officers did the right thing by shooting the gorilla, said she was concerned that the most of the police force didn't see the tape.

At a meeting held on November 20, 2002, between the city attorney's office, the Police Department and park officials, it was agreed that every police officer would see the 10-minute training tape on what to do in case of animal escapes at the zoo. Only the tactical officers were shown the training video. The other officers were not.

"That was a breakdown in communication in the Police Department," Ms. Miller said. "That shouldn't have happened."

To remedy the situation, copies of the video were dispersed to patrol officers Thursday, she said.

The Police Department confirmed that the videos were distributed to patrol officers.

"For whatever reason we had miscommunication and we failed to put it out," said Sgt. Gil Cerda, a police spokesman.

– Terri Langford and Michael Grabell

[dallastophoenix]

From D's Frontburner:

THE HAIRY HOUDINI

A troublemaking FrontBurnervian asks if anyone else finds it curious that the city will spend $95,000 to figure out how Jabari escaped but only $25,000 to find a new police chief (!!!!)

Talk about the wrong priorities...

[gc]

David M. Kunkle is the lucky winner!

[gc]

Kunkle named Dallas police chief
10:45 AM CDT on Monday, May 10, 2004
By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News

Arlington Deputy City Manager for Citizen Services David Kunkle is the new Dallas police chief, city manager Ted Benavides said this morning.

Mr. Kunkle will take over Dallas' 2,900 member department on June 28.

Mr. Kunkle has served 17 years as police chief in Grand Prairie and Arlington. His appointment completes an exhaustive selection process directed by City Manager Ted Benavides.

"David Kunkle brings to this position extensive law enforcement and community relations skills necessary to address the city's number one priority of reducing crime," Mr. Benavides said in a press release. "His success as police chief in Arlington and Grand Prairie as well as his early career in Dallas stood out as I listened to police asociation representatives' and community leaders' input during the past few weeks about who should lead the department."

Before being named deputy city manager for Arlington, Mr. Kunkle spent 14 years as police chief building the city's department into a progressive force and diversifying the police ranks to reflect the city's demographics.

[trolleygirl]

Well this is not the guy that the rank and file wanted becuase he's not "for the officers". We'll see what happens.

[Kelley USA]

Well, because he's white- we're going to see every minority group in Dallas come out against this hire... The next few weeks should make for good TV news!

[trolleygirl]

Hey all the cops that I've talked to - and I know more than a few- all wanted the other guy....and he's hispanic.

[gc]

Hey all the cops that I've talked to - and I know more than a few- all wanted the other guy....and he's hispanic.

I thought the police unions, etc loved Kunkle...

[trolleygirl]

I thought the police unions, etc loved Kunkle...

I don't know about that.......I haven't kept up with the police unions, but I do talk to the beat cops and I'm not sure how many of them are or are not in police unions.

[gc]

In Kunkle they trust: New chief has fans across area
Former co-workers say he's a reformer who can spot, fix weaknesses
10:15 PM CDT on Monday, May 10, 2004
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/051104dnmetarlchief.27c9.html


ARLINGTON – When David Kunkle was hired as Grand Prairie police chief more than 20 years ago, he took over a department that needed a push into the modern age.

Sgt. Clif Luster, a Grand Prairie detective at the time, said it's a little embarrassing to admit, but the department didn't give polygraph tests to new officers, didn't put them through physical agility tests and didn't perform thorough background checks.

Mr. Kunkle changed all that.

"He pretty much brought us up to date to what a police department should have been," said Sgt. Luster, who has been with the department for 25 years. Mr. Kunkle, an Arlington deputy city manager who was named Dallas police chief Monday morning, is described by those who have worked with him as a reformer who can identify weaknesses in a department and fix them.

Chuck Kiefer, Arlington's city manager, said he agrees with his counterpart in Dallas who said Mr. Kunkle, a former Arlington police chief, is the right person at the right time. "He's made fundamental changes in his department, but those are changes that have been accepted by the public and the officers," Mr. Kiefer said. As Arlington chief for 14 years, Mr. Kunkle created one of the nation's first citizen police academies, pushed the department to hire more minorities and required new officers to have college degrees.

Former Arlington Mayor Elzie Odom said the changes weren't arbitrary. They were steps toward making the department better. He said the degree requirement was a way to attract officers who are disciplined and willing to learn. The minority recruitment helped the department more closely resemble Arlington's population and give it greater credibility among all residents.

"He's not a big talker, but when he does, you listen," Mr. Odom said.

Sgt. Luster, who worked with Arlington police during a special assignment, said a few there bucked the progressive policies, but ultimately, Mr. Kunkle was right.

"Some people resented the change," he said, "but it was necessary change."

Sue Phillips, president of East Arlington Renewal, a community group that pushes for revitalization in some of the city's poorest areas, said Mr. Kunkle showed a talent for developing leaders in Arlington. "He can sense potential in people," she said. Although Mr. Kunkle is stepping into a department racked with controversy, such as the fake-drug scandal and the firing of former Chief Terrell Bolton, his supporters said he's up to the job.

Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said Mr. Kunkle told him he sees the job as a challenge and that's what attracted him, despite the pay cut. He said the new chief's knack for building consensus should help him turn around the Dallas department. "I am supremely confident he will put the pieces together [in Dallas], and I'm going to enjoy watching that happen," Mr. Cluck said.

Arlington Police Chief Theron Bowman said he has complete confidence in his former boss. All he needs is a fair chance. "If they give him an opportunity to be David Kunkle, he'll succeed," Chief Bowman said.

E-mail jmosier@dallasnews.com

[gc]

Dallas finds chief close to home
Leader skills win job for Kunkle, former top cop in Arlington
09:50 PM CDT on Monday, May 10, 2004
By STEVE McGONIGLE and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/051104dnmetkunklechief.13b36.html

Sometimes you find what you're looking for in your own back yard.

After conducting a nationwide search for a new police chief, Dallas City Manager Ted Benavides said Monday that he had chosen David Kunkle, a former Dallas police commander who has been both the top cop and a top city administrator in Arlington. Mr. Benavides, who has described his decision as one of the most important of his career, told a room filled with police officers and city officials that he picked Mr. Kunkle from a group of six finalists because of his proven leadership. "I was looking for the best leader, and Mr. Kunkle is that," Mr. Benavides said. "He's inclusive, sensitive, and he can be tough. , He had everything going his way."

Mr. Kunkle, 53, said that despite leaving 22 years ago to be police chief in Grand Prairie and then Arlington, the Dallas Police Department stayed close to his heart. He watched the successes and failures of the department over the last several years, and knew this was the right opportunity for him to apply for the job, he said. "The Dallas Police Department helped define who I am, and I've always been very proud of that," Mr. Kunkle said. Mr. Benavides extended the offer Saturday. After reviewing the qualifications of the other finalists, he said, he kept returning to Mr. Kunkle, the last person whose home city he had visited in recent weeks. The other finalists were Bernard Melekian, the chief in Pasadena, Calif.; Louis Cobarruviaz, former chief in San Jose, Calif.; Norman Williams, chief in Wichita, Kan.; Kevin Robinson, deputy chief in Phoenix; and Lou Caudell, another Dallas police veteran who was a former chief in Little Rock, Ark.


$138,623 a year

Mr. Kunkle will be paid $138,623 per year – about the same as the chief he is replacing, Terrell Bolton.

The salary is well below what chiefs in other large cities make. Houston, for example, pays its chief $170,000 a year. San Diego pays $162,000. Mike Moses, the Dallas school superintendent, earns $342,000 annually. "I didn't put myself in a strong negotiating position [for my salary]. I said if this job was offered to me, I'd take it," Mr. Kunkle said.

Mr. Kunkle returns to the department at a time when it faces a host of challenges ranging from racial division to micromanagement and second-guessing from city leaders. He said before making any wholesale changes in the department he wants to assess it "from top to bottom," noting, "I think I'm a quick study."

He said he believes that an independent analysis of department efficiency now under way will help him to determine what changes need to be made and whether to beef up staffing. "The first challenge is to make sure you are effectively using the force you have," he said, adding that one of his priorities would be getting as many officers on patrol as possible. Mr. Kunkle, who has a record of improving diversity in Arlington's police ranks, remains committed to diversity and diversifying the command staff. "I have a very talented pool of people to draw from to promote into the command rank," he said.

He plans to examine the department's policy of regularly allowing use of the lateral vascular neck restraint, which recently contributed to the death of a Dallas man restrained by police. In Arlington, he made it a measure of last resort after the city dealt with similar problems.

"David Kunkle is a can-do person," said Gary Sykes, director of the Plano-based Institute for Law Enforcement Administration. "He can implement and bring about change through steady pressure." Complaints about Mr. Kunkle are few among those who know him or have worked with him. If there's a drawback to his calm, reserved demeanor, it's that people sometimes view it as aloofness or even disapproval. "Some folks have heard that he's a tough person to talk to ... he can seem a little remote," said Tarrant County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Mike Sheehan, former longtime head of the Arlington Police Association. "But once you get to know him, he's not like that at all."

Sgt. Sheehan, who remains the longest-tenured president of Arlington's police union, said Mr. Kunkle commanded respect on both sides of the bargaining table. "We had some very tough discussions, but we were always moving forward," Sgt. Sheehan said. Mr. Kunkle has always been one of the smartest guys, if not the smartest, in the room. People who know him say he most likely has a photographic memory because he can remember people's names after having only met them once. "He would know you by first name," said Lauretta Hill, president of the African-American Police Officers Association in Arlington. "That just makes him more personable."

First in academy class

He rose quickly through the ranks in Dallas, graduating first in his academy class of 32 when he joined the department in 1972. He was the department's youngest captain at age 29 but left in 1982, going on to an impressive career as police chief in Grand Prairie and Arlington and later as a deputy city manager in Arlington.

During his 14-year watch in Arlington, he spearheaded the department's transformation into a highly regarded, nationally known organization with a progressive reputation. He instituted a four-year degree requirement for new police recruits, though the conventional wisdom was that increasing education rules can be an impediment to achieving diversity goals. "He showed it can be done," Officer Hill said. "We're a living example. We have a very diverse police department."

While Mr. Kunkle did not say that he would institute a four-year requirement in Dallas, he said he was committed to hiring officers with a high level of judgment skills, intelligence and character. He said what he found in Arlington was that raising the education standard attracted better candidates who wanted to work for a department that valued education.

Lisa Womack, police chief in Sugar Land, Texas, and a former deputy chief in Arlington, also credited her former boss with making the concept of community policing a reality. "I think under Chief Kunkle's leadership that professional policing in Arlington was greatly enhanced," she said. Carrollton Police Chief David James, who met Mr. Kunkle when both worked in the Northwest Division of the Dallas Police Department, said Dallas had made a solid pick. "I think he brings several things to Dallas, one of which is an insight into the history of the organization, and more importantly the history of the city, its governance, politics and the community," Chief James said. "He's not starting from scratch.

"He is the quiet CEO type, the very quiet and competent CEO type."

Nor does he have the drawback of being part of the troubled tenure of the fired chief Bolton. "An insider would be identified with the current system. He's not identified with that," Mr. Sykes said. "He's a very solid choice, and you might even say a safe choice." Mr. Kunkle said he understands the city's budget constraints. And he said he will do everything in his power to run as efficient a department as possible. "I'll never forget the awesome responsibility that goes with this position," he said.


Staff writers Michael Grabell, Mark Wrolstad and Emily Ramshaw contributed to this report.
E-mail smcgonigle@dallasnews.com and teiserer@dallasnews.com

[gc]

Most say they're at ease with Benavides' choice
But concerns linger about minority representation
09:27 PM CDT on Monday, May 10, 2004
By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/051104dnmetchiefreact.4e07.html

Relief, excitement and pride – as well as a few concerns – greeted the news Monday of the selection of Arlington Deputy City Manager David Kunkle as the next Dallas police chief. Aside from one of Dallas' four major police associations, representatives from City Hall, police headquarters and various minority interest groups endorsed Mr. Kunkle's selection. City Council member Elba Garcia said she is thrilled with the decision and relieved "this day has finally arrived." "We're excited about your skills," Dr. Garcia said at Monday's City Hall news conference. "We want you to restore the confidence of the citizens of Dallas."

Gary Griffith, vice chairman of the public safety committee, said it's time for the city to rally around Mr. Kunkle. "We're glad you're on board and back in Dallas," he said. By the day's end, even some of the hardest-to-please City Council members had been won over. Mitchell Rasansky, a frequent critic of the chief selection process, initially feared that Mr. Kunkle was too far removed from the Police Department. That was until he sat down and spoke with the new chief. "I was impressed about his listening. I was impressed that he's a manager," Mr. Rasansky said. "I thought to myself, 'I like this guy.' "

Dallas Mayor Laura Miller tempered her concern that the new chief was not as much of an outsider as she had hoped. "I was hoping we would get someone from outside of our sphere of influence. ... It would have been nice to reach out beyond the metroplex," she said. "But I'm 100 percent behind ... [Chief Kunkle] because he's our new chief."

Racial concerns

Praise for the new chief has been offset by some criticism from black and Hispanic leaders, who had been hoping for a minority chief. Officer Michael Walton, president of the Dallas Fraternal Order of Police, said his association was dissatisfied with Mr. Benavides' choice. "I don't believe Mr. Kunkle was on my short list," he said. "This goes back to the old regime. There was a lot of turmoil when he was here previously, and he was a commander then." But Officer Walton vowed to work with the new chief and show him respect.

City Council member Steve Salazar said there was some disappointment among Hispanics. It would have been a "momentous" day if the city had hired its first Hispanic police chief, he said. "This creates a great responsibility for the new chief in his hiring practices," Mr. Salazar said. Black leaders, who had been enraged by the firing of the city's first black police chief, Terrell Bolton, said Mr. Kunkle was their top pick of the nonblack candidates in the final six. "I would have preferred a minority," said Joyce Foreman, Dallas president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. "Sometimes you have to go past race and look for what's good for the city at the time. And I believe Chief Kunkle is the best person for the chief at this time."

The Rev. L. Charles Stovall agreed, saying that Mr. Kunkle came highly recommended from black leaders in Arlington and Grand Prairie and that he has proved himself sensitive to their concerns about racial profiling and excessive force.

"Every person that I've talked with that knows the chief or knows about his reputation or record are very positive about him," Mr. Stovall said. City Council member Leo Chaney said any of the minority candidates would have been outstanding choices. But he said the city manager picked the right man for the job. "The city of Dallas is 61 percent ethnic minority, and diversity is a very critical issue," Mr. Chaney said. "Mr. Kunkle has got the experience and understands the political climate." Throughout the chief hunt, the Latino Peace Officers Association had supported Louis Cobarruviaz.

Senior Cpl. George Aranda, the association's president, said that he was somewhat disappointed by the city manager's choice but that his group would work with Mr. Kunkle. "We're clearly disappointed. We made it known that Cobarruviaz is the lead candidate," he said. "We just thought he had the better record." Cpl. Aranda said he was impressed that Mr. Kunkle raised the percentage of minorities on the Arlington and Grand Prairie forces, but he noted that Dallas is larger and more diverse. He questioned whether such changes were enough. "Dallas by 2010 will be 57 percent Hispanic," he said. "You have to ask what's enough."


Foresight praised

Lauretta Hill, president of the African American Peace Officer Association of Arlington, said Mr. Kunkle has the foresight it takes to perform. "He's stressed diversity, education, and obviously he is what changed Arlington into the professional police agency that it's become," she said. "He saw years from now." The Dallas Police Association, the city's largest police association, has remained quiet about the candidates. Unlike other organizations, it did not endorse any candidate. But Senior Cpl. Glenn White said Monday that he was pleased the city manager chose someone with experience within the department.

"I think that's going to cut down the long learning curve that someone else would have gone through," he said. Cpl. White touted Chief Kunkle's experience as an assistant city manager and his personality as a quiet, thoughtful leader. "He's a guy who does things quietly, and he gets things accomplished," Cpl. white said. "He does things with little fanfare." Sgt. Malik Aziz, president of the the Texas Peace Officers Association, said Chief Kunkle seemed intelligent but that his quiet demeanor could give some the wrong impression. He also said Mr. Kunkle is a good people person. "He'd be in a room of maybe 15 to 20 people, but he'd say, 'Go ahead, Mike' or 'Go ahead, Gil,' " Sgt. Aziz said. "Either he has a photographic memory or he's very good." Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson, an officer spokesman in Arlington during Chief Kunkle's time there, said he wasn't surprised with the pick. "I knew that with the picture that Mr. Benavides was getting about him, it'd be difficult to pick someone else," he said.

[gc]

Black leaders, who had been enraged by the firing of the city's first black police chief, Terrell Bolton, said Mr. Kunkle was their top pick of the nonblack candidates in the final six. "I would have preferred a minority," said Joyce Foreman, Dallas president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. "Sometimes you have to go past race and look for what's good for the city at the time. And I believe Chief Kunkle is the best person for the chief at this time."

That is a classic quote..."sometimes you have to go past race...."

[tamtagon]

That is a classic quote..."sometimes you have to go past race...."

So fresh you can hardly believe it!

[gc]

New police chief: Accountability, merit are keys
07:12 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 12, 2004
By TANYA EISERER and MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News

David Kunkle, who starts next month as police chief in Dallas, sat down Tuesday to discuss his concerns about the department and his vision for the future. Here's some of what he had to say:

How will he tackle the city's persistent crime problem?

"I don't feel that the [Dallas] department was as focused on crime as they should have been," he said. He says the chief shouldn't be the only one who lies awake at night thinking about fighting crime. He said that in Arlington, where he was police chief for 14 years and is now deputy city manager, accountability was a high priority throughout the ranks. He's reluctant to lay out a specific plan before studying the city's soon-to-be-finished independent police efficiency evaluation, but he is aware that Dallas has had a crime rate higher than that of any other U.S. city of more than 1 million people.

One of the best tools in policing, he says, is a crime-tracking system called Compstat, which allows police to spot crime trends in specific geographic areas, such as a beat. Arlington has been using Compstat since 1997. Mr. Kunkle wants Dallas to focus on a similar program it recently started. He also says that increasing traffic enforcement can reduce crime. He said that when more people are stopped for minor infractions, the chance is greater of catching a wanted individual or finding contraband.

How will he deal with low morale in the department?

Mr. Kunkle says the most important thing he can do is give people a professional working environment where everyone is accountable and treated with respect. "Organizations that have a common purpose and focus ... are more effective than those organizations that don't have that," he said. "It's obvious that the department will be the most effective if you can energize and motivate 3,000 police officers."

What is his philosophy on community policing?

Mr. Kunkle prefers the model that he helped implement in Arlington, in which patrol officers are expected to get out and meet the people on their beats and help them solve problems. He says policies such as the one used in Dallas, in which specialized units focus on community policing while most patrol officers respond to calls, do not generally apply manpower effectively and can create animosity between traditional patrol officers and community police officers. "They refer to that group as a 'grin and wave' squad," he said. He did not say he would eliminate the Dallas units; he plans to study the matter.

How will he deal with the perception that the City Council interferes too much in day-to-day department operations?

Mr. Kunkle said resources should not be allocated based solely on political considerations. He will report to City Manager Ted Benavides and Assistant City Manager Charles Daniels, who answer to the City Council and the mayor.

Will Mr. Kunkle restructure the command staff?

Mr. Kunkle deflected questions about whether he will demote members of the current command staff. He said it's obvious that political intrigue and cronyism occurred during former Chief Terrell Bolton's tenure, including by allowing sergeants to bypass the rank of lieutenant and jump into higher ranks. "My sense is that many of these promotions were based on cronyism and people's ability to develop relationships, rather than based on competence," Mr. Kunkle said. "The command staff will be held accountable based on performance, not cronyism." Mr. Bolton was heavily criticized for promoting several sergeants – some with limited supervisory experience – directly into the command ranks. The practice of rank-jumping began in the late 1980s. Mr. Kunkle said he believes that it was appropriate then to promote racial and ethnic diversity and to alleviate public distrust, but he says there are now a number of qualified black and Hispanic lieutenants within the ranks who can be promoted.

What are Mr. Kunkle's thoughts on training and professional development?

He said that the department has been too inward-looking and that he will encourage professional development. "Dallas police officers quit interacting with the larger police community and quit sending their managers to training," he said.

How will he deal with fallout from the 2001 fake-drug scandal, in which police informants planted fake drugs on innocent people?

Mr. Kunkle vowed that if investigations show that laws or policies were violated, those involved would be held accountable. "I don't think the accountability in the fake-drug scandal is over," he said. "The full story hasn't been told." He said he doesn't agree with the way the department first reacted to the situation. Under Chief Bolton, the department's initial response was slow and defensive, he said. "I have found that the best thing to do when we make mistakes is to acknowledge those mistakes, take our beating ... and fix it as best you can," Mr. Kunkle said.

How will Mr. Kunkle reach out to the large Spanish-speaking community in Dallas?

Mr. Kunkle, who does not speak Spanish, says he will still make it a top priority to connect with Hispanics. He highlighted his record in Arlington, where he helped create a citizens' police academy for those who speak Spanish. He also is considering creating a unit specifically devoted to serving Spanish-speaking crime victims.

What is his personal style of management?

Mr. Kunkle says he tries to keep a professional distance from subordinates because he wants to evaluate people purely on performance. "I try to be encouraging don't develop a friendly relationship," he said. "People won't be measured or evaluated based on friendship."

Before David Kunkle begins working full time in his $138,623-a-year job as Dallas' police chief on June 28, he plans to:

Resign his $141,240 job as deputy city manager in Arlington and pass the reins to someone else.
Pass the state police officer licensing exam. He'll have to take 70 hours of online training before taking the test.
Fill out a formal application to work for the city.
[B]Find a home in Dallas. He is considering downtown, Uptown and the White Rock Lake area.
Marry his fiancee, a corporate trainer, and go on his honeymoon to the Caribbean in June.

[dallastophoenix]

although his answers were likely cleverly crafted just for the article, i think he might be a good fit...

[sockid]

If this article is ANY indication- We may have gotten very lucky indeed. I just hope the job he wanted so badly does not break his heart. And that CITY HALL let him DO the job they hired him for.


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/051604dnmetkunkle.36310.html


Kunkle found refuge in order of the law


Self-discipline carried Dallas' next police chief from chaotic childhood


12:04 AM CDT on Sunday, May 16, 2004

By MARK WROLSTAD / The Dallas Morning News

Elzie Odom, the retired Arlington mayor, ran into David Kunkle at the City Hall elevators last month when the longtime police chief turned administrator was on a still-long list of applicants for Dallas chief.

"David, why on earth do you want that job?" the former mayor and council member said, chuckling. "I thought you were a smart man."

Mr. Kunkle, who turned in his badge after 14 years as Arlington's chief to become a deputy city manager the last five, had a succinct reply. He liked the challenge of returning to Dallas, where his first department has been buffeted by high crime, a scandal over fake drugs, faulty hiring procedures and accusations of cronyism, all leading to former chief Terrell Bolton's firing last August.

"David can retire here anytime he wants," Mr. Odom said of Mr. Kunkle's long service in Arlington. "Yet he decides to take on such a challenging job. It says the guy has some guts."

You'd never hear it so bluntly from the thoughtful, quiet Kunkle, 53, who becomes Dallas police chief June 28.

An intense reserve has been the hallmark of his 32-year career, underscored by a self-reliance that developed during a childhood that had many painful moments. Growing up in Hurst, he had a mother crippled by alcoholism and a demanding father whose life was later consumed by mental illness.

The oldest of three children, he was 9 when his parents divorced. His mother's alcoholism deepened and ended her life at age 45; his father, who lives in California, has been homeless for long stretches.

"We learned early that we had to take control of our own lives," said Mr. Kunkle's 50-year-old brother, Steve. "David had to be disciplined because there wasn't anybody helping him through life.

"There's a general sense that we grew up in the most difficult of circumstances. My mom was debilitated by the heartbreak of my dad leaving her, her alcoholism and loneliness. She was helpless but loving. My dad was unloving, but had very high goals, standards and expectations."

With a small laugh, the brother added, "We probably had a balance there somehow in this bizarre situation."

Steve Kunkle, who lives in Albuquerque, N.M., and a sister, Kay, who's in Houston, both have families and work in insurance.

"Sometimes I'm surprised that my brother and sister and I have done as well as we have," said David Kunkle, talking guardedly about his personal life for the first time. "We've never been arrested. We're all financially successful."



Desire to help others


From those early influences and with support from his mother's extended family came a fierce desire to help others by becoming a cop.

At 21, Mr. Kunkle chose a career where he could bring order and calm from disorder and where those opportunities grew as he ascended the chain of command.

He has earned a reputation as an inclusive leader, a listener and a delegator. He's equally determined, associates said, to see that his officers are properly rewarded and disciplined, that they use appropriate force and that they treat someone they arrest like "a wayward uncle."

"David and I grew up not just to be responsible, but to be sensitive to people," his brother said.

Mr. Kunkle seems formal and remote but can also be funny. He has an impressive memory. He dislikes the media spotlight and political gamesmanship; he has been a mentor to many but never had a mentor himself.

"He is the smartest police chief I've ever met, not only in the United States, but around the world," said Mike Heidingsfield, head of the Memphis Crime Commission and a Kunkle protégé who became chief in Scottsdale, Ariz.

"He's not the traditional police chief," Mr. Heidingsfield said. "He sees around the corners and way out to the horizon to the future of policing."

Perhaps significantly, few people have seen beyond his professional life to his private one despite the endless endorsements and almost no criticisms from colleagues and crime-watchers.

David Michael Kunkle was born in Fort Worth in November 1950. His father, Richard, a Bell Helicopter technician, and his mother, whose maiden name was Cherry Farmer, started raising a family in a small house in Hurst.

His father left in the late 1950s, enrolled in college and later moved to California, where Lockheed paid for him to earn a master's degree in engineering at Stanford University. His mother was sometimes unable to care for the children, but her family may have saved them.

"We always knew our mom loved us, and I don't think any of us three kids have any animosity toward her," Mr. Kunkle said. "We see her as more a victim of circumstances.

"In some ways it was good because it forced me to grow up quicker."

His great-grandmother, known as "Big Mama," was a figure of strength and integrity. Grandma "Totsie" spoiled and loved them, and an aunt and uncle were godsends, Steve Kunkle said.

Each summer, the children traveled to California to spend time with their dad, who had started a semi-conductor firm. He experienced increasingly manic behavior, later diagnosed as manic-depression, and eventually he sold his business in the 1970s and retired, Mr. Kunkle said.

Over the years, he has tried to keep his father, now 74, in stable living situations and has been his conservator. But his father, who is in a group home and couldn't be contacted, at times has chosen to live on the streets.

Mr. Kunkle said introspection has its limits. "I've repressed most of the bad memories," he said. "You have to move on and live life the best you can."



Love for the work


He graduated from L.D. Bell High School in 1969, started college and kept working. An article on college graduates becoming police officers caught his eye and in 1972, shortly after first marrying, he enrolled at the police academy in Dallas – a department viewed as progressive in a city he'd never visited.

He loved police work: confronting unexpected situations, making decisions, restoring order and coming to view policing as "a powerful force for social change."

It was "the most magical time in my life," he said. "They probably didn't have to pay me those first six months. I got to see things other people generally only read about."

Money does not seem to be a motivating factor. In fact, he's taking a slight pay cut to return as Dallas' chief, and he's already working in some ways, six weeks before his job starts.

This week, he received a warm welcome at his old southwest precinct. Then, he attended the annual police memorial, moving through the crowd afterward with tears in his eyes to greet families.

Assuming his new duties will have to wait a few weeks because of another life-changing event.

He and Kris Ankersen, 39, a corporate trainer based in Fort Worth, will wed June 12. The couple, both runners, met two years ago when she had to find a capable fill-in for a 199-mile relay race in California. Running has always been a part of Mr. Kunkle's disciplined work ethic. The marathoner says he hasn't taken a sick day in 32 years.

He had a custom home built in Arlington last year, but the couple will start house-hunting soon to move to Dallas.

"Of course, I have reservations. It's a big step for him, but I think he'll do great," said Ms. Ankersen, who travels regularly for her job. "It'll be taking him away from me a lot, but I'm gone a lot, too, so I'll be doing the same thing to him."

This will be Mr. Kunkle's fourth marriage, a number that makes him "fundamentally embarrassed."



Learning from past


"There are things I'm not terribly proud of," he said, "and I think I've learned from those experiences and won't repeat them anymore."

He also regrets not doing well enough when his only child, from his first marriage, was growing up. Today, he says he and David Jr., who goes by "Mike" and is a 30-year-old construction supervisor, have a good relationship.

"I wish I'd been a better parent and communicated better with him," Mr. Kunkle said. "I wish I'd been there more."

His son got into trouble that included a DWI conviction a decade ago. Dee Anderson, who was the Arlington department's longtime spokesman before becoming Tarrant County sheriff, recalled having to tell Chief Kunkle about the young man's arrest and the potential media interest.

"He said to handle it like you would any other," the sheriff said. "It was a difficult time for David, but he handled it like everything else, with a lot of integrity and a lot of class."

One week ago, with a half-dozen finalists, no one gave Mr. Kunkle much of a chance of being chosen by City Manager Ted Benavides.

The former chief had high marks for raising standards, improving diversity and relating well to officers, unions and residents. But because he spent his first decade on the Dallas force, conventional wisdom had Mr. Benavides rejecting him.

The notion that anyone who has "ever set foot" in Dallas is "somehow tainted, unqualified or incompetent" is wrong, Mr. Benavides said after choosing Mr. Kunkle. "The fact that he knows a little bit about us" and the surrounding region might be an advantage. Chief Bolton was criticized for poor relations with the FBI and the Dallas County district attorney's office.

"This is an organization that needs healing," the city manager said. "He was able to find a way to be a leader and be human. That was one of the clinchers for me."

Marlin Price, one of the assistant chiefs famously demoted by Mr. Bolton and now Southlake's police chief, called Mr. Kunkle "the ideal candidate." The two were Dallas rookies the same year and headed an impressive captains class in 1980.

"He is an outsider, but he knows that department," Chief Price said. "The most important thing for those police associations and the council to understand is he's the right man for the job because of his integrity."

Erin Kunkle, whose 14-year marriage to the new chief ended in 2002, said he has an ability to see both sides of an issue.

"Professionally, something I've always admired about David is that he doesn't take things personally, because when you're police chief, people are always attacking you," said Ms. Kunkle, an accounting manager. "At the same time, he wouldn't buckle to pressure from the officers, the unions, the city council, community groups. I think he'll be able to balance all that very well and be fair to everyone, as much as you can be fair to everyone."



Still has the fire


When his former boss was considering applying for the Dallas job, Sheriff Anderson asked him, "Do you still have fire in your belly?"

"I knew the answer before I asked the question," Sheriff Anderson said. "He's going to work 20 hours a day. To him, the bigger the job, the better. Everything he's done has made him ready to take on this challenge.

"He felt this would absolutely complete the circle. This gives him a chance to go out, to end his career, the way he's always dreamed."

Over the decades, through all the changes in his life, running has been a constant for him. Perhaps it offers a chance for him to be in control, something that often eluded him during the upheaval of his youth.

"You're pushing your limits; you're processing oxygen; your legs are hurting," he said. "You've got to be pretty comfortable with your own thoughts and being within your own head.

"I've always been someone who's been pretty comfortable being alone."

His new job will be his last race and shapes up as his toughest.

He offers with assurance something no one has said about the Dallas police department in a long time: "I think it's a wonderful situation."

[gc]

Crime-mapping system gets deeper look
Kunkle sending 2 to LA to study how to best utilize Compstat
03:07 PM CDT on Monday, June 7, 2004
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/060704dnmetcrimedata.35337.html

Dallas has a high-tech weapon to fight crime, but the city's new police chief thinks top officers may need to learn how to better use it. At incoming Police Chief David Kunkle's direction, two commanders will head west in mid-June to study the Los Angeles Police Department's acclaimed use of Compstat – a crime-fighting philosophy where computer programs are used to track and target crime trends in specific neighborhoods. Larry Hoover, director of the Police Research Center at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, studied the use of Compstat at several departments around the state and found that in Dallas, the information is being collected, but the department's top brass isn't always putting it to good use.

"When I visited in January, I saw the best use of geographic information crime mapping of any of the departments I visited," Dr. Hoover said. "What I did not see was a sense of accountability on the part of the unit commanders." During a Compstat meeting attended by senior officers in January, he said he noticed that Assistant Chief Tom Ward seemed to be the only department leader offering suggestions about what to do about various crime problems shown by the Compstat data. "He was the individual who was saying, 'Why don't we do this or that,' " Dr. Hoover said. "I didn't hear unit commanders say, 'Here's what I'm doing about it.' "

Dallas' patrol commanders, along with commanders from the detective divisions, meet once a week to study crime from the prior week and decide where to use the department's resources. "There were a few unit commanders that if [Los Angeles Police Chief] Bill Bratton had been there, they would have been sent down the hallway for reassignment," Dr. Hoover said. "Chief Kunkle's challenge is going to be to force those not taking it seriously to get on board and get on board quick or find an appropriate but different assignment." Mr. Kunkle, who officially begins work in late June, said he views Dr. Hoover's observations as a serious concern, which is partly why he's sending Chief Ward and Deputy Chief Floyd Simpson on the two-day trip to study Los Angeles' methods.

Los Angeles has used a form of Compstat since 1998, but Chief Bratton, widely considered the father of the policing philosophy, has over the last 18 months retooled it to more closely resemble the acclaimed program he oversaw as police commissioner in New York City, Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief George Gascon said. "It brings everybody at the management level to the table to think of crime as their primary duty," Chief Gascon said. "We have not demoted anyone, but we have certainly moved some people and put some people on notice." He credits Compstat with a decline in the city's major crime of just more than 9 percent so far this year compared with the previous year and said violent crime is down about 13 percent for the same period.

Dallas implemented Compstat in the fall, shortly after the firing of former Chief Terrell Bolton. Dr. Hoover visited Dallas as part of a research project in which he studied the Compstat programs of seven Texas departments, including Arlington, Euless, El Paso, San Antonio and Fort Worth.In general, he found in Texas that pointed questions were asked, but the style was not the more confrontational New York approach. In Fort Worth, for example, the Compstat meeting was "tough-minded" and there were "numerous challenges made to people who were doing the unit presentations."

Arlington, where Mr. Kunkle was chief until 1999, was among the best, he said. "It was well-organized," Dr. Hoover said. "It was focused on specific interventions. It was not a show and tell with pretty maps." Mr. Kunkle, who implemented Arlington's program when chief there, said that he does not personally know how well Compstat is working – or not working – in Dallas because he has not attended any meetings yet.

But he said Compstat should in part hold people accountable.

"The intent is to push accountability down into the organization. Commanders and supervisors have to know where their crime is occurring and develop the appropriate strategic responses," he said. Chief Ward said he now feels most patrol commanders "have embraced the crime analysis model and are working hard to address crime concerns in their areas." He attributes a year-to-date reduction of about 5 percent over last year, in part, to the Compstat philosophy. "I think now we do a pseudo Compstat," Chief Simpson said. Like Chief Ward, he said he wants to see how Los Angeles commanders respond and are held responsible for what happens in their geographical area. "If you're short [on police officers], what do you do? Quite frankly, we're short of police officers."

E-mail teiserer@dallasnews.com

[gc]

Dallas implemented Compstat in the fall, shortly after the firing of former Chief Terrell Bolton.

It is funny to me that a major crime initiative like this was never released to the public.