City rescinds nomination for Superintendent of Police Reform
May 3—About a week after announcing her nomination for Superintendent of Police Reform, the administration decided not to proceed with hiring LaTesha Watson.
Watson had been in law enforcement for 25 years and most recently served as the director of the Office of Public Safety Accountability in Sacramento, Calif. She did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Daniel Jiron, a city spokesman, said during the final round of in-person meetings last week Watson "proposed a restructuring of the role that did not align with the position that the administration is hiring for." The city announced her nomination on April 25, and it was pending city council confirmation.
Jiron said Watson had "a number of broad and all-encompassing ideas about what the position should look like."
"We had agreed on a clear path and job description developed last year, and have been showing progress with Interim Superintendent (Sylvester) Stanley, and the administration does not want to deviate from that at this critical moment for reform," Jiron said.
Stanley had been appointed as Superintendent of Police Reform when the position was created in March 2021. He retired at the end of the year.
The superintendent serves alongside the police chief and will oversee discipline, the academy, internal affairs and compliance with the Court Approved Settlement Agreement with the Department of Justice. That agreement lays out reforms for the police department, including how it trains, investigates and disciplines officers regarding use of force.
Thirty four qualified candidates had applied to the post. Jiron said the administration will revisit that pool as well as any additional candidates and solicit new ones.
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