AUSTIN, Texas — It'll be a while longer before Austin has a permanent police chief.
Earlier this month, the city announced two finalists for the Austin Police Department's next chief: Jeffrey Norman, the current chief of police in Milwaukee, and Lisa Davis, the assistant police chief in Cincinnati. Earlier this week, Norman and Davis took questions from the media and met with community members.
All this with the expectation that City Manager T.C. Broadnax planned to pick a sole finalist for the city council's approval on Tuesday, July 30.
Now Broadnax says he has decided not to request that specially-called meeting to ask the mayor and council to confirm a new chief.
In an update on Friday, Broadnax noted that choosing a permanent police chief was a top priority for him when he took office in May. He said the city has worked diligently to find the best possible candidates and to provide the community with the opportunity to share what they want to see in a chief of police and provide feedback as the field of candidates has narrowed.
Broadnax said he is currently reviewing that feedback, as well as input from stakeholder interview panels and the city council. It's for that reason that he has pushed back when he will have a decision.
"This position is too critical to our Police Department, the City organization as a whole, and this community to rush," Broadnax said. "Therefore, I’m going to take additional time to consider our two very qualified candidates before making a final decision."
It is not clear at this time when Broadnax plans to share his choice with the council.
What makes this search different?
KVUE Senior Reporter Tony Plohetski asked both the president of the police union and a well-known community activist about why this search for a police chief is different than past searches.
Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said he thinks factors include strained relationships with previous city councils, unprecedented protests in 2020 and more frequent prosecutions of police officers under District Attorney José Garza.
"There is just a very tumultuous relationship that we have here. The politics here, I think, are a deterrent," Bullock said. "The political factor here in Austin is, I believe, a big part of what drove some people away or just not to apply."
Chas Moore, who heads the Austin Justice Coalition, said he thinks the city manager is doing the right thing by pausing the process – at least for now.
"I actually had the privilege of talking to the recruiter for the position, and they just very blatantly said, 'The talent and skill to fill this position in Austin just wasn't out there, and we go with the best of what was available,'" Moore said.
The city paid $60,000 to a search firm to find candidates, and that firm said they found applicants through advertising within police chief associations, direct outreach to possible candidates and social media campaigns.
The city said it does believe the search firm fulfilled its obligation and worked tirelessly to recruit applicants.