City of Gilroy officials are in the thick of the process to find and hire a new police chief, with Pedro Espinoza set to retire as of May 22.
The city is working with a nationwide search firm to recruit a new police chief. So far, City Hall has received a total of eight applications for the Gilroy Police Department’s top cop.
When asked for details about the process, city staff said they couldn’t offer much due to the fact the recruitment is a personnel matter.
“The search for the next police chief of the city is still ongoing,” City Administrator Jimmy Forbis said. “Because this matter involves personnel, I am unable to comment on specific candidates or potential candidates at this time.
“The recruitment process for such an important position in the community is extensive. It includes input from the community, evaluations of candidates by subject matter experts and thorough background investigations. Ultimately, my selection for Gilroy’s next police chief will be based on who I believe is the best fit for the Gilroy community.”
Espinoza announced in February that he will be retiring this month after a 30-year law enforcement career. Espinoza was hired by the Gilroy Police Department as a patrol officer in 2003. He worked his way up the ranks to captain in 2015. In 2020, the city council appointed Espinoza as police chief.
Mayor Greg Bozzo, when asked this week if he had an update on the search for a new chief, said the city’s policy is generally to defer to the city administrator’s office when hiring top staff for each department—including the police department. The city administrator “makes the final decision based on public input, input from staff,” Bozzo said. “The council, by design and by the city charter, does not play a role.”
Bozzo added “I believe that the Gilroy Police Department is a very well run police department that appears to have very good camaraderie amongst the officers and staff. I’d like to see that continue.”
Back in February, Fobis said since Espinoza became police chief in 2020, he has developed a solid succession plan for when he retires. That plan has resulted in a number of viable internal candidates for the city’s next police chief, Forbis said.
