Qualities of a police chief
August 16th, 2007 by 
colson
News of the police chief’s upcoming departure has generated a lot of talk, both good and bad about the Brandon police department.
As the city begins the search for a new police chief what qualities should they look for in a new leader?
Posted in Uncategorized | 
August 16th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Do you think the members of the Brandon Police Department are doing a good job? In what ways, if any, would you like the department to improve?
As Brandon looks for a new police chief, what sort of background do you think would be ideal for the job? What sort of personality? In a general sense, do you think it’s better to hire from within, or from the outside? How about a female police chief?
As Brandon continues to grow and become more urban, what direction, do you think, should the Brandon Police Department take?
August 17th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Good question. I think it needs to be someone from outside the dept. Someone that has an out going personality and to be able to objectively deal with at all personnel problems. a person who can be a foward thinker. one that never forgets what it was like out on the street. the era of the “good old boys” in the management of officers. Will have a intersting job to fit cause its quite present of the public does like to express their opinion’s in various forum. So the Brandon deparment needs to be able to express idea’s for the future and not constantly referring back to the good old days.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:53 am
I hope the City Council opens their eyes to look to the outside or interview ALL candidates that are qualified. I don’t feel just because someone was the hometown football hero and has been with the department for however many years, should they EXPECT to be put in the Chief position. I feel the Brandon Police Department needs someone that can look to the future to open new doors for the department. Brandon is a growing and sprawling community and needs someone that can grow along with it. I know whoever they choose will have big shoes to fill after Chief Youngdale retires.
Good Luck
August 17th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
I agree with 4PD that someone from outside of the department would be better. I think the best solution would be to contract with Minnehaha County. I would believe this would also give the Brandon PD better training opportunities and make more specialized units available to the communities needs.
Brandon is growing quickly, and we need out community leaders to be proactive, not reactive. Contracting with Minnehaha would be a huge leap in the right direction. It would provide a deep pool of leadership with the required skills and knowledge of running a professional police force.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel that the BPD has done a bad job. We live in a safe community, which says something for them and the citizens of Brandon themselves. I just feel we are at a point where the BPD could make huge strides in quality, training, effectiveness, and abilities.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
First sentence of the second paragraph should read:
Brandon is growing quickly, and we need our community leaders to be proactive, not reactive
I apologize to the grammar police for my ineptitude!
August 17th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Interesting that some want to contract with Minnehaha county for police, but the city wants to hire an independant ambulance company and not contract that out. Polar opposites there.
August 19th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
I think they need to be a ninja. And a good cook. That’s about it. Preferred, but not required, to pass a drug test.
August 20th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
What do I want in a Police Chief? Nothing “Else”!
August 21st, 2007 at 1:53 pm
With the size of Brandon (only going to get bigger) why would you want to have a contract with the county? This is basically saying to the resident of the city (mayor, city admin. ECT..) cannot handle the job at hand. As a financial aspect. The cost of a contract would be a little more expensive than the salary of a “full time” chief. You will not have the chain of command if the department would do that. Taking steps back, not forward. The blinders need to come off.
The person should be educated and have the experience to do the job. If that person is already on the department, so be it. That may be a good thing. I would think that the department would benefit from that.
It’s possible that it could have its downfalls also. Most people can not seperate the business and personal lives.