AUSTIN, Texas —
The city of Austin has released the names of the people who have so far applied to be the next chief of police for the Austin Police Department. There are 32 candidates who submitted applications before the initial June 10 deadline, but the city said on June 20 that it is still accepting applications, adding that such "open until filled" positions are customary for executive posts.
Eventually, the list of candidates will get smaller as Mosaic Public Partners, the consultancy group who is leading the search, narrows the list to the top candidates who qualify.
According to the job listing, Austin's next police chief will report to an assistant city manager and will be accountable for the day-to-day operations of the department, including policies and procedures. According to the posting, the chief's executive leadership team includes a chief of staff and five assistant chiefs of police.
The city is looking for a candidate with at least a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, public or business administration, or a related field. They must also have at least 10 years of "progressively responsible work in police administration," with at least five years as a "bona fide law enforcement officer."
The posting states that the most competitive candidates will have direct experience as a police chief in a large city with "issues that are similarly complex to those in Austin." They will also have the ability to forge relationships with Austin's many diverse communities and should have a "sound understanding of the history of institutional racism in policing" and work to provide public safety services equitably while also advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion, including within APD.
A few names on the list of applicants fit the criteria of working as a police chief in a large city. Those names include Adrian Diaz, chief of police in Seattle; Jeffrey Norman, chief of police in Milwaukee; and Paco Balderrama, chief of police in Fresno.
Who applied to be Austin's next chief?
Here are the names and the latest work experiences of all 32 people who applied for Austin's chief of police position.
Darryl Albert – Former Police Chief, Montgomery (AL) Police Department
Lindsey Alli – Patrol Sergeant, City of Columbus (OH) Division of Police
Nicholas Augustine – Assistant Chief of Police, Montgomery County (MD) Police Department
Paco Balderrama – Chief of Police, Fresno (CA) Police Department
DeShawn Beaufort – Inspector, Philadelphia (PA) Police Department
Blake Bennett – Police Officer, Buda (TX) Police Department
Joseph Costa – Chief of Police DeSoto (TX) Police Department
Lisa Davis – Assistant Police Chief, Cincinnati (OH) Police Department
Adrian Diaz – Chief of Police, Seattle (WA) Police Department
Prurince Dice – Police Captain, Deland (FL) Police Department
Jason Dusterhoft – Commander, Austin (TX) Police Department until December 2018
Gabriel Dobkin – Police Sergeant with Austin (TX) Police Department
Anson B. Evans - Chief of Police, Fort Valley (GA) Police Department until April 2024
Teresa Ewins – Chief of Police (retired), Lincoln (NE) Police Department until July 2023
Alan Fear – Commander of Police Operations, Sterling (CO) Police Department
Nicholas Fiore – Inspector, New York (NY) Police Department
Steve Friend – Senior Fellow on Domestic Intelligence and Security Services, Center for Renewing America
Joel F. Fitzgerald - Chief of Police and Emergency Management, Denver (CO) Transit Police Department
Mark Grube – Assistant Chief, Clark County (NE) Sheriff's Office
Kevin Hall – Assistant Chief of Police, Tucson (AZ) Police Department
Andy Harvey Jr. - City Manager/Chief of Police, City of Pharr (TX) until September 2022
Steven Huron – Sergeant, San Antonio (TX) Police Department
Ernest Morales III – Chief of Police, Minnesota Metro Transit Police Department
Kawanski Nichols – Sergeant, Houston Police Department
Jeffrey Norman – Chief of Police, Milwaukee Police Department
Geneane Orndorff – Sergeant Detective, Kemah (TX) Police Department
Brian Reyes – Commander, San Antonio (TX) Police Department
Amanjeet Sandhu - Captain, New York (NY) Police Department
Anthony Schembri – County Administrator and Director of Public Safety, Citrus County (FL)
Ryan Urrutia – Assistant Chief Deputy, El Paso County Sheriff's Office
Hector Villareal – Patrol Officer, Kingsville Police Department
Joshua Wallace – Commander, Chicago Police Department