After a lengthy hiring process, the city of Peoria — a northern suburb of Phoenix — has narrowed its search down to four candidates for a new police chief.
One of the names on that list is Sedona Police Department Chief David McGill.
Earlier this week, McGill sent an email to his entire staff and his fellow city department heads informing them that he was a finalist for the job. McGill supplied that email to the Sedona Red Rock News but said he’d prefer to wait until after a decision is made to discuss the Peoria job any further.
A follow-up article will appear in the NEWS once the city of Peoria makes its decision, which is expected to take place in about two weeks.
“This is one of the most difficult notes I have written in my professional career, but it is important that I share some news that will be made public soon, which has ties to the Sedona PD,” McGill wrote to his staff. “I would much rather talk to each of you personally about this, but I am quite a few miles north of you in Montana visiting family, and that is not possible.”
McGill said Peoria Police Department would soon be releasing the names of the four finalists, which is why he wanted his staff to hear it from him before word got out.
“My wife and I arrived in Sedona in November 2016 fully expecting that this job would be the last stop of my career,” he said. “We were excited and looking forward to the next five to 10 years in this small town, working with the extremely talented and dedicated workforce of this department. The community, the city and this department accepted us and welcomed us, and we will be forever grateful for this. Our department is doing amazing things together on this journey that will take us to that next level, and we are working well as a team to get the job done.”
McGill said the decision to apply was based more on personal reasons than professional ones. He spent the majority of his career in Southern California with the Los Angeles Police Department and most recently as assistant chief of the Newport Beach Police Department before coming to Sedona.
“There is much to love about this town, the city team and the people who make up this wonderful police department,” he wrote. “I am not looking elsewhere because it is bad here — it is very good here. No one is pushing me out, and I am very happy working with each of you at this time.”
McGill said if he gets the job he will work closely with City Manager Justin Clifton to find his successor, if necessary. But if it isn’t offered to him, things will remain status quo.
“I am sorry you are finding out about this issue in this manner, at this time,” he wrote. “I am extremely distraught over the timing of this and how some of you may feel about your chief looking to move on so soon after arriving here. I truly wish the timing was a little better and that I was down the road a bit longer. Whatever you are feeling after hearing this news, I hope and trust you will continue to work hard at your job and continue to serve the community as you do so well. I will keep you informed as we move forward.”
Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 122, or email reland@larsonnewspapers.com
