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Community wants transparency from new BPD chief

Posted at 11:26 PM, Dec 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-06 02:26:13-05

The announcement of the new Bakersfield police chief could be made as early as the end of this week.

As the community waits for the announcement, Faith in the Valley Kern and other organizations are demanding input in the selection of the new BPD Chief.

On Monday people got together in front of the police department to express their concerns and talk about what qualities they hope to see in the new chief.

They hope the city manager's selection will be someone who will address their concerns. They're asking that the new chief be transparent and that he breaks from the status quo.

They're also asking that the person selected is someone who knows the community well, who will protect immigrants and communities that are victims of hate crimes, like Sikhs or Muslims. 

They say their hope is that the new chief will help create trust between police and the community they serve.

Faith in the Valley Kern is hosting a town hall meeting on Monday, December 12th. They’ve invited all three remaining candidates and the city manager in hopes of expressing their concerns. The town hall will be at Mt. Zion Baptist Church located at 825 California Ave from 6 p.m.- 8p.m.

So far there is no word on when city manager Alan Tandy will announce his decision about the new chief.