Hired to find new Oakland police chief, consultant quits

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan speaks at a press conference at the Oakland Police Department headquarters after Police Chief Howard Jordan stepped down in May.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan speaks at a press conference at the Oakland Police Department headquarters after Police Chief Howard Jordan stepped down in May. Photo: Josh Edelson, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Josh Edelson, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Hired to find new Oakland police chief, consultant quits 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The headhunter hired to find Oakland's new police chief has backed out of the job, saying city officials were meddling in the selection process.

Bob Murray, of the Sacramento executive search company Bob Murray and Associates, said in a letter last week that he was quitting immediately because city officials had conducted informal conversations with potential candidates.

In an interview Monday, Murray would not say who had held the conversations or provide other details. However, a spokesman for Mayor Jean Quan said staffers in her office had spoken with "a couple" of possible applicants.

Officials who establish searches for major positions such as police chief typically wait for the winnowing to run its course to avoid the appearance of favoritism or a rigged hiring process.

Quan's spokesman said the conversations were insubstantial and happened before the application process closed Dec. 6.

"Prior to applying, a couple of individuals during the open application process reached out to our office to see if it was an open process and if they should consider applying," said Sean Maher, Quan's spokesman. "Since the application process closed, neither the mayor nor anyone in her office has had conversations with anyone applying."

In August, Quan announced plans to hire the city's fourth permanent police chief since 2009, four months after then-Chief Howard Jordan abruptly resigned. Interim Chief Sean Whent, who was appointed after Jordan's resignation, said in August that he intended to apply for the post.

The city gave Murray a $100,000 contract to find qualified candidates and organize the hiring process. Murray will be paid for his work to date, said Maher, adding that he did not know the exact figure.

Quan had tasked Murray with finding a chief who could quell violence in Oakland, inspire a depleted and demoralized police force, and take on reforms mandated under a 2003 settlement that ended a lawsuit accusing Oakland police of misconduct.

Now, Maher said, the mayor and City Administrator Deanna Santana will decide how to interview and vet the 32 people who have applied to be chief and hire someone "as soon as possible."

"Figuring out the swiftest and best way to get this done is the mayor's first priority, and it is what she is working on today," Maher said. "Her eye is on the ball."