Can Two Police Chiefs Run One Department?

I know what you are thinking.

What in the world is he talking about?

I’m not crazy.  A City government decided to split the responsibilities of the Police Chief between two people and give them two different titles.

The Decision

The Mayor and Chief Administrator of the City of Albuquerque recently announced after an exhaustive search, that they appointed Harold Medina to serve as the Police Chief.  Chief Medina currently serves as the Interim Chief. 

However, their announcement didn’t stop there.

They also appointed another candidate, Sylvester Stanley, to a newly created Superintendent of Police Reform position.

Click here to read an article about these appointments.

Some people were disappointed that an internal candidate, Medina, was selected. But, at the same time, other people were cautiously optimistic that the new position can create more accountability within the Albuquerque Police Department.

Duties & Responsibilities

If you have two Police Chiefs, how do you divide up their duties?

Here is what Albuquerque did.

Chief Medina will be responsible for fighting crime, the recruitment of officers, and building morale. 

On the other hand, Superintendent Stanley will be responsible for the Police Academy, Internal Affairs, and will work with the Department of Justice on reform efforts.  Stanley will also be in charge of discipline.

I’m sure the list of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive.  Yet, the list provides some insight into their thought process.

Yet, I can’t help but wonder what kind of problems will be created by this division of labor.

Potential Challenges

Ultimately, the biggest challenge will likely be the inability to indeed hold one person accountable for what happens in the department.

Typically, that one person is the Police Chief.  However, when the duties of the Chief are divided between two people, that accountability becomes complicated.

For example, what happens when there is a morale issue, and the primary cause is an aggressive Internal Affairs unit or some reform effort within the department?

Who gets blamed for the problem?

Who has the responsibility to address it?

In most departments, it is the Chief. But, in Albuquerque, maybe not.

I’m sure many other scenarios complicate this split even more. However, discipline stands out.

How can the Police Chief not be responsible for the discipline of his staff?  It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Conclusion

You have to wonder what the leaders in Albuquerque thought when they made this decision.

Why did they do it?

What were they trying to accomplish?

I don’t know enough about the politics of Albuquerque to answer those questions.  I am sure the answer is quite complicated.

Can it work?  Maybe.

However, there will likely be a lot of finger-pointing as issues, problems, and challenges develop at the department.

I guess time will tell.

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