Denver posted its job opening for a new sheriff Monday morning, nearly a year after its
The national search will be led by Hillard Heintze, a Chicago-based consulting group that has been heavily involved in . Mayor Michael Hancock also formed a recruitment committee for the search.
The mayor hopes to have a new sheriff within three to four months. The job will pay $167,000 per year.
“Securing a leader with the necessary talents to drive the reform that members of both the community and the Denver Sheriff Department deserve and want is our top priority,” Hancock said in a news release.
The job description calls for a “change agent” with the “ability and past performance to provide strategic direction and vision.”
The recruitment committee will screen applicants and recommend considerations for hiring.
The committee members are:
• Thomas Frank, retired deputy sheriff
• The Rev. William Golson, Denver Sheriff Department reform steering committee member
• City Councilman Paul Lopez
• City Attorney Scott Martinez
• Stephanie O’Malley, executive director of public safety
• Grayson , retired Arapahoe County Sheriff
• Rosemary Rodriquez, Denver Sheriff Department reform steering committee member
• Joseph Sandoval, Denver Sheriff Department reform steering committee member and criminal justice professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver
• Catherine Shea, GLBT commission
• Janice Sinden, mayor’s chief of staff
Former Sheriff Gary Wilson stepped down from the job on July 21 after a series of embarrassing excessive force cases. He remains a senior-ranking officer at the sheriff’s department.
Elias Diggins has served as since then.
The day Wilson stepped down, Hancock announced a top-to-bottom review of the department.
Since then, multiple committees, task forces and two outside consulting companies have examined the department.
The job posting said the city prefers someone with a master’s degree and a minimum of five years experience managing a corrections agency.
Some have questioned why it took so long to post the job opening, saying a new sheriff needs to have a voice in the extensive changes that are coming.
Denise Maes, public policy director for the ACLU of Colorado, said there are decisions that can be made before a new sheriff is on board.
“There are some things where it doesn’t matter who the new sheriff is it’s got to be done,” Maes said. “There are some things where a new sheriff should be allowed discretion to choose.”
Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips
