Jeri Williams looking for someone who’s ‘all in’ as next Phoenix police chief
May 11, 2022, 4:25 AM
PHOENIX — After recently announcing her retirement as Phoenix police chief, Jeri Williams said she’s looking for her replacement to be someone who’s willing to be all in.
“This is not an easy job, it’s not a coasting job, it’s not a retirement job. This is a job where you really have to be all in,” Williams told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Tuesday. “And if you’re not, you’re not the right person for this job.”
Williams announced plans to retire last week after nearly six years of leading the department and almost 33 years of being a police officer.
Until a permanent police chief has been selected — one with experience dealing with Department of Justice — the search for an interim continues, the city manager said.
“I want nothing but what is good for the Phoenix Police Department and for our community,” Williams said.
A good candidate is, Williams said, “someone who is willing to stand alone in times of making challenging decisions but do so in the best interests of the department, someone who’s willing to really take the arrows and take the hits and take all the things that are coming your way, while at the same time trying to shield your department from those type of things so that they still feel valued and that they want to come in and go to work.”
The new chief will ideally be someone who loves, cares and has a passion for the men and women within the department, and is a good communicator, Williams added.
She planned to retire this summer, although, she won’t know her last date until an interim is named.
