San Jose, Richmond police chiefs vie for Tucson top cop job

Two Bay Area police chiefs are in the running to be the next chief of police in Tucson, Arizona, according to Tucson officials.

San Jose Police Chief Larry Esquivel and Richmond Police Chief Christopher Magnus are among the four finalists selected after a nationwide search, city officials announced Monday.

The other candidates are Malik Aziz, a deputy chief with the Dallas Police Department, and Rick Gregory, a former police chief for cities including Provo, Utah, and New Castle, Delaware.

The finalists will interview with a 15-member advisory committee at a public meeting on Oct. 29. They will also interview with the Tucson Police Officers Association and Tucson Police Department command, as well as the city’s executive leadership team. City Manager Michael Ortega will make the final appointment.

Ortega said in a statement Monday:

“I am confident we will find a chief committed to applying the principles of community policing to deliver a high level of services to residents.”

Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor, a 35-year veteran of the department, is retiring in December.

Esquivel, who was appointed as police chief in San Jose in 2014, is expected to retire from that position in January. He has served with the department since 1986.

Magnus, chief of police in Richmond since 2006, has gained national attention in recent years for his success in improving community policing in Richmond and for a reduction in violent crimes in the city. He previously served as the chief of police in Fargo, North Dakota.

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