Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak today named William P. McManus his choice for Minneapolis Police Chief. McManus is currently Chief of Police in Dayton, Ohio and was previously Assistant Police Chief in Washington, D.C., where he spent 26 years in the department.
"I've spent two years - in City Hall and out in the community - learning what we need in our next Chief of Police. Bill McManus has demonstrated exactly the combination of tough, visible leadership and management skill that our community is looking for. This is the right choice for Minneapolis," Mayor Rybak said. McManus has a proven ability to make tough decisions based on what's right for the community. In less than two years in Dayton, McManus established new policies to restrict high-speed police pursuits and prohibit officers from shooting from or into moving vehicles, both of which he said posed unjustifiable safety risks. The Dayton Daily News editorialized earlier this month: "No one can deny how Chief McManus has kept the department jumping, implementing new policies based on national best practices." In Dayton, McManus effectively introduced Community Oriented Policing and STARCAPPS, which is a strategic tracking and analysis response system similar to CODEFOR (the system currently in use in Minneapolis). He also quickly moved to control spiraling overtime costs, establish accountability for all personnel, and ensure that diversity based programs were taken seriously within the department. Cha Lee, a member of the Citizens' Advisory Committee that interviewed the finalists and executive director of the Southeast Asian Community Council, said, "This guy lives diversity. He may not show it on the outside, but he gets it in his heart and lives it every day." He is credited in two short years in Dayton with bringing the police department closer to the community and providing much-needed direction. He introduced the City's first racial profiling policy and swiftly diversified and reorganized Dayton's command staff. He implemented fully integrated, geographically tailored community policing in Dayton. The ties he nurtured with other law-enforcement agencies resulted in a combined City-County SWAT team. McManus was Assistant Chief of Police in Washington, D.C., directly overseeing the largest and most diverse division of the City, ranging from Capitol Hill to the poorest, toughest neighborhoods. He played a key role during period of reorganization to refine the department's community policing efforts, and to bring about a focused reduction in crime and the fear of crime. He reduced homicides by 43 percent in his region by strategically directing resources to focused areas. Mayor Rybak has been clear about his expectations throughout the search. His five criteria, developed with extensive community input, are 1) maintain public safety, 2) strong leadership and accountability, 3) innovative, efficient management, 4) respectful, consistent service, and 5) a visible leader who builds partnerships with the community. "We need to create a safe community where every law-abiding person - regardless of the color of their skin, the neighborhood they live in, or the language they speak - trusts the Minneapolis police to protect and defend them. I believe Bill McManus can get us there," Mayor Rybak said. McManus holds a Master of Science in management from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science from Villanova University. McManus is originally from Philadelphia. He and his wife, Lourdes, have two children. Lourdes is a Peruvian immigrant and the family speaks Spanish in their home. Mayor Rybak will forward McManus' name to the City's Executive Committee on Monday, December 22, and the committee will consider his nomination on January 7. A public hearing on the Mayor's nomination will also be held on January 7 in the City's Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee. The nomination is likely to be considered by the City Council on Friday, January 16. Laura Sether, Office of Mayor Rybak Standish-Ericsson REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
