Arson, sexual predators and more
– the crime rate is climbing
Did someone stop the creepy bus and let the passengers out in our fair city?
That’s what it seems like lately with a series of strange arson fires, sexual predators and whacked-out criminals terrorizing our residents and grabbing the headlines.
Perhaps it’s only an anecdotal assessment, but creepy crime – and that means serious crime – is on the rise in Gilroy and, meanwhile, we’ve been in limbo for quite some time regarding leadership in the Gilroy Police Department. It’s more than too bad that City Administrator Jay Baksa didn’t start the hiring process when he knew Police Chief Gregg Giusiana and Assistant Chief Lanny Brown were retiring instead of negotiating a secret retirement deal. Instead of the city of Gilroy being behind the crime eight ball, as it’s becoming all too apparent we are now, we could have been implementing new strategies, reorganizing and reenergizing a department that has been shamelessly neglected.
So, while it’s clear we are in dire need of leadership in the GPD, what’s most important is hiring the right person. Three candidates are apparently left, and it’s fortunate that Mr. Baksa backed off the hiring bullet train enough to allow newly seated City Council members to have a look at the candidates and the process.
There is a little time before the scheduled Dec. 17 culmination of the process. It’s the perfect time to bring officers fully into the loop to talk with the candidates and share their observations and recommendations with the city administrator and the City Council.
To do otherwise would be to ignore a very valuable opinion – that of the officer on the street. Nobody expects the city administrator or the Council to cede the decision making, but why not actively seek solid input from the Gilroy Police Officer’s Association?
Certainly it’s within the Council’s purview to direct the city administrator to do this. It’s just common sense. Petty politics would be the lone reason not to seek officer input and, if that’s governing the process, this community is highly likely to end up with the wrong person in place.
In that case, scrapping this search and starting over again after Mr. Baksa retires in early January might be the best option.
Gilroy’s police department needs restoration. Our city has a new police building, but the foundation within the organization has not been solid for quite some time due to the lack of leadership.
It’s up the Council to force any and all issues related to this hiring in order to get the best person, and there’s no time to waste.
