Sixty-one people want the job of chief of the San Francisco Police Department. Those 61, a number which includes current acting chief Toney Chaplin, have all applied for the role — submitting detailed applications and resumes in the process. And while the specific details of those applications remains confidential for now, the Examiner reports that the SF Police Commission has released some information on those vying for the job of San Francisco's top cop.
The little bit we do know shows a diverse and experienced pool — including 17 current or former chiefs of police. Other information released reveals that 21 are from out of state, while eleven have applied from within the SFPD, and that five are women.
The varying levels of upper echelon experience possessed by those applying is sure to put pressure on Chaplin, who in recent days has faced controversy for at first refusing to say where he attended college before later clarifying that he studied via Colorado State University's online program, from which he graduated on June 26, 2016, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership.
This has not prevented the Police Officers Association from coming out in favor of Chaplin, as Bay City News reported on Sunday.
The limited public details on who, just exactly, Chaplin is squaring off against for the job suggest that a host of experienced candidates have applied for the role. And while it is still too early to tell what three candidates the Police Commission will recommend to Mayor Ed Lee (who will then select one for chief), or even who they are, one thing is for sure: Contrary to early reports, the decision as to who will head up the scandal-plagued SFPD is far from a done deal — and Chaplin has his work cut out for him.
