Remember Richmond, California Police Chief Chris Magnus? The one who was photographed holding up a "Black Lives Matter" sign in December 2014 and said he would
do it again? He's being recruited for a new gig: chief of the Tucson, Arizona Police Department. Some folks want him. But some folks don't.
The folks who want him: 11 of the 14 members of the Citizen Police Chief Appointment Advisory Committee. Members of the committee like some of the things he's done in Richmond: he's credited with increasing officer pay, dropping crime and also, reforming a department known for racism and ruthlessness.
The folks who don't want him: members of Tucson's police department because of that darned "Black Lives Matter" sign he held up in December 2014. That, and the fact that he had a cartoon of the incident hanging on the wall of his office kind of soured the union representatives that went to interview him about the job. Of the 70 members of the Tucson Police Officers Association, only three voted for him.
Magnus's actions also drew quite a bit of criticism from his own officers at the time which, when you think about it, may not necessarily be a bad thing. Magnus defended his actions as being a positive step toward improving relations with the Richmond community.
The city manager of Tucson is expected to make a decision on the new chief in the coming weeks.