Denise Turner expected to start in March
Come March, Gilroy will have a new chief of police.
After a series of delays, informal votes and closed sessions, the city council voted, in open session, to hire Denise Turner. In a motion made by Councilman Dion Bracco and seconded by Cat Tucker, the council unanimously approved the recommendation of staff.
Turner comes to Gilroy “with excellent experience and a sincere desire to build relationships with the community and staff,” said Director of Human Resources LeeAnn McPhillips.
Turner has had a 26 year career with the Kings County, Washington Sheriff’s Office, rising through the ranks from reserve officer to chief.
During six months of interviews and research, previous City Administrator Jay Baksa and current Interim City Administrator Anna Jatczak led a team of residents, police personnel and department heads who culled three finalists from a pool of 51 applicants.
The search was narrowed to Turner who was put through a rigorous recruitment process, which included a comprehensive background investigation and extensive psychological and medical evaluations. Upon her successful completion of the process, city staff recommended Turner “with pride and confidence,” McPhillips said.
Mayor Al Pinheiro announced that the council had been debriefed on the extent of the background investigation including the contents of a Dec. 10 letter provided to the council by former Gilroy Police Officers’ Association President Jim Callahan weighing the pros and cons of Turner and two other finalists at the time.
POA President Frank Bozzo declined to elaborate on the letter or the type of information included in it.
After receiving the letter, Jatczak and Pinheiro decided to postpone the council’s decision just days before the body was expected to confirm the Gilroy Police Department’s chief.
Pinheiro said that the contents of the letter had been passed along to the firm investigating Turner and after the firm followed through, the council also received a debriefing of anything that turned up in the additional investigation.
With Turner at the helm of the police department, Gilroy Fire Department Chief Dale Foster remains as the sole male department head. The city has five departments: Wendie Rooney heads the Community Development Department, Susan Andrade-Wax the community services department, Jatczak the interim city administrator and now Turner as the chief of police.
Turner was not present at the city council meeting.
