Phoenix police chief finalists answer questions during public forum as search nears end

PHOENIX — As the Phoenix police chief search winds down, the four finalists answered questions about their visions for the department during a public forum on Wednesday night.

The Phoenix Police Department has been without a permanent chief since Jeri Williams retired and Michael Sullivan was hired on an interim basis in September 2022.

The hiring process started in December 2024, when the city retained a firm to conduct a national search. Officials solicited community input, which was used during this week’s forum, as part of the process.

The field was narrowed this month to Sullivan, Phoenix Assistant Chief Ed DeCastro, Mesa Assistant Chief Ed Wessing and Oakland, California, Deputy Chief Casey Johnson. Each finalist has more than two decades of law enforcement experience.

City Manager Jeff Barton is expected to announce the selection next month.

What happened during Phoenix police chief search forum?

Vielka Miller, internal communications manager for Phoenix, ran Thursday’s forum at City Hall. The event lasted about two hours.

Each candidate provided an opening statement before Miller posed a series of questions about their backgrounds, qualifications and policing philosophies.

“Residents have provided feedback on the qualities they seek in their next police chief, along with specific questions for consideration tonight,” Miller said. “In fact, we received over 340 questions in advance.”

The full video of the livestream is available on YouTube. Here’s a selection of comments about priorities from each candidate:

DeCastro: “One of the things that I would like to highlight as police chief is making sure that we retain the current employees that we have, make sure that we get new employees because we’re desperately needing of officers, but also build up morale by allowing communication to flow easily from top to bottom.”

Johnson: “My top priorities will be crime prevention and community engagement. I truly believe that if you can partner with your community, you can truly drive a department forward into the right direction.”

Sullivan: “Throughout my career, I prioritize crime fighting, accountability and community engagement. I’m the only candidate that you will hear from tonight who has been a police chief.”

Wessing: “What do I think are the top three priorities facing Phoenix Police Department? First and foremost, in my opinion, is retention and hiring. Quite frankly, I think we’re in a crisis here in the city of Phoenix with the percentage of vacancy rate that we have for sworn positions … just over 20%.”

More information about the Phoenix police chief search is available on the city’s website.

Related

City of Phoenix announces finalists in its search for new police chiefPhoenix seeks community input during search for next police chiefArizona, California, Nevada would get less Colorado River water under new federal proposalMan pronounced dead at scene of early-morning shooting in ChandlerPhoenix helicopter used for mountain rescues taken out of service for maintenanceAndy Biggs picks Sine Kerr as running mate in 1st Arizona election with lieutenant governor