Modesto deserves a police chief who knows us, sees us and will be one of us

The next chief to lead the Modesto Police Department should be someone who will get rid of bad officers. Preferably, before they kill people as opposed to after.

She or he should be someone who puts an emphasis on training — and retraining. Modesto police officers must be committed to protecting us, not shooting us.

Failure to do so will result in more officers like Joseph Lamantia, who was removed from active duty the day he killed unarmed Trevor Seever, Dec. 29, and fired two weeks ago.

Modesto’s next police chief must have genuine personal desire to connect with community, to reach out to people not just with handshakes and fist bumps but with real intent to know us, to see us and to be part of us.

The next man or woman to lead Modesto police must constantly remind officers that they are duty-bound to serve, and not to lord over us, while keeping order. The new chief must set an unimpeachable example of patience, never one of shooting first and asking questions later.

Our next police chief must be someone who recognizes that many among us have problems of mental health that require compassion and calm rather than a rash rush to judgment. He or she must set a clear expectation of all officers, present and future, that tolerance and empathy overrule harshness every time, in every encounter.

Modesto was fortunate to have Galen Carroll, who embodied many of these traits, as chief until he retired Dec. 24. People noticed when Carroll in early June took a knee amid a crowd in Tenth Street Place to commemorate the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Carroll since has taken a job as deputy director of security at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The announcement late last year that City Manager Joe Lopez would use his own staff to recruit Carroll’s replacement was not a huge surprise. Lopez is a personnel expert, having ascended from a previous career in human resources; few know more about hiring and firing.

That Lopez changed his mind and will opt to use a head-hunting firm, as announced Wednesday, is a reflection of what’s happened since Carroll left. Namely, the death of Seever at the hands of Lamantia, which may have been as predictable as it was completely unnecessary.

Lamantia exhibited few of the above traits. Four of the five people he shot in 11 years died. His was the classic authoritarian-warrior mentality, rather than that of a public servant, and this editorial board called for him to be terminated and criminally charged shortly after footage of the Seever tragedy from Lamantia’s own body camera was released in early January.

Next Modesto chief could already be here

What a trial by fire for Brandon Gillespie, to oversee the Lamantia mess only five days after Gillespie was installed as interim police chief. His immediate response, which included answering every one of our questions, was commendable.

It was good to hear — in a direct interview Wednesday with Lopez — that Gillespie will remain in the running. His chance at the permanent job is as good as any other candidate who might emerge from across the country, said Lopez, who ultimately decided that he needed more help with the public outreach portion of selecting a new chief, he said.

“With everything going on in our community and nationally, it’s important there is a fair and impartial process,” Lopez said. “We want to make sure we demonstrate to the community that we hear that and we will deliver on it.”

Gillespie made the right call March 18 when he terminated Lamantia, who faces criminal charges in upcoming prosecution by the office of Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager. It’s like we have right here a mini version of what’s going on now in a Minneapolis courtroom, where former officer Derek Chauvin is being tried for Floyd’s murder.

Modesto’s next police chief must not hesitate to hold accountable officers like Chauvin and Lamantia, while putting a premium on connecting with us. She or he must not grudgingly accept the effort soon to be launched by Mayor Sue Zwahlen — to have residents look at police policies and practices, perhaps leading to something like civilian review — but fully embrace it.

This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 4:00 AM.