New San Jose Police Chief: Integrity a Must

Dear Editor:

New San Jose Police Chief: Integrity a Must

The integrity to discipline unruly officers is a must for the new police chief of San Jose. Chief Davis was a master at public relations, until almost 5,000 drunk in public arrests in one year, climbing taser deaths, and questionable officer shootings of mentally incapacitated individuals reached critical mass.

Mayor Chuck Reed and Chief Davis succeeded in riding themselves of the pesky police auditor, not realizing she was the loyal opposition offering critical insight into a minority of overly aggressive officers and questionable arrests. Few officers, even with recurring complaints, were disciplined, none reported as fired—so the abuse under color of authority was not addressed adequately. Yet that is exactly what is needed in a police chief—the fortitude to discipline officers who defy the command to protect the public, when necessary with force, but not with aggression.

Gil Villagrán
San Jose State University