And now for a pop quiz: Do you know who is sitting up on the gilded fifth floor of Austin Police Department HQ, handling all the administrative goings-on and, ultimately, overseeing operations of the more-than-1,300-officer force? If not, don’t worry, because you’re not alone. Indeed, it’s hard to say who’s running the shop these days. On Dec. 20, acting Chief Cathy Ellison announced that she has demoted Assistant Chief Charlie Ortiz, who was tapped for fifth floor duties in March by former Chief Stan Knee. Ellison declined to explain her decision to the public or to APD officers. Reportedly, she’s decided to appoint Northwest Area Command Commander Leo Enriquez to fill Ortiz’s spot, starting Jan. 1, and Ortiz will step back one rank to commander. With Ortiz out and Enriquez on the way in – where he’ll be considered an acting assistant chief – that leaves just AC David Carter – also promoted in March – and another acting AC, Julie O’Brien, whom Ellison tapped for fifth floor duty in May. In other words, there are currently one assistant chief, two acting assistant chiefs, and one acting chief making decisions from on high. That worries some officers, who tell the Chronicle that since Knee resigned in May to take a job working with government officials in Afghanistan (yes, Afghanistan; it still sounds weird), a leadership vacuum has filled the fifth floor – meaning, in part, that clear communication from administrators to rank-and-file has suffered. Jim Beck, president of the Austin Police Association, says there’s definitely a “different feeling” coming from the fifth floor than there was back when Knee was chief, and that communication – which will likely play a significant role during the selection process for a new chief – is definitely a key issue. (At press time, Assistant City Manager Mike McDonald could not be reached for comment.)
For sure, there are fewer crew chiefs on board these days – under Knee there was a full complement of at least four ACs to oversee the department’s increasingly complex operations (not that all of them were universally loved, mind you). It is unlikely that the leadership situation will sort itself out until the city hires a new, permanent chief who will be able to come in and restructure the fifth floor as he or she sees fit. The employment search is reportedly ongoing, but the city has yet to indicate whether it has a list of final candidates. According to a job posting on the Web site of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the city is looking for an administrator “with at least five-years of police chief or deputy chief experience in a community of comparable size” – a requirement that, on its face, appears to disqualify Ellison and the rest of the current fifth floor residents.
In short, sources tell the Chronicle, what feels like instability on the fifth floor has left some officers with an ironic pining for the good ol’ days of life under Chief Knee. We suspect this too will pass.
This article appears in January 12 • 2007.