Kolender Will Take Job With Union-Tribune

Police Chief Bill Kolender, the longest-tenured chief of a major city police department in the country, is retiring to become an executive with the Union-Tribune Publishing Co.

Kolender, who joined the Police Department in 1956 and became chief in 1975, is leaving the force to take the position of assistant general manager for community relations for the newspaper company, effective Aug. 1, according to a statement released Friday by Publisher Helen K. Copley.

Kolender declined to comment about his departure during an interview Friday morning. Later in the afternoon, after the Union-Tribune released its statement, the doors to the chief’s seventh-floor office at police headquarters were locked as he met with his inner circle of commanders.

Assistant Chief Bob Burgreen said Kolender would have nothing to say publicly about the matter until a press conference at noon today.

City Manager John Lockwood, who Friday morning left to accompany Mayor Maureen O’Connor on a tour of the Soviet Union, is expected to make a quick decision when he returns July 20 as to what type of search to conduct for the new chief, according to Deputy City Manager Jack McGrory.

Burgreen will head the Police Department in his capacity as assistant chief after July 8, when Kolender leaves, and until a new chief takes over, city officials said.

Word that Kolender, 53, would soon be leaving the department had intensified in recent weeks, as had speculation about his possible successor.

In addition to Burgreen, other likely contenders within the department are Donald L. Davis, Manuel C. Guaderrama, Charles M. (Mike) Rice and Norman H. Stamper, all deputy chiefs.

Early in his 13-year tenure as police chief, the personable and well-liked Kolender was perceived as an innovator in many areas of law enforcement, particularly in improving relations with the minority community.

Setbacks in Recent Years

But, in recent years, Kolender and the department have suffered their share of setbacks.

In the fall of 1986, a ticket-fixing scandal in the chief’s office led to an official reprimand from Lockwood. The Sagon Penn case, in which a young black man was acquitted in the shooting death of one officer and the wounding of another, caused a prolonged rift between the department and the minority community.

As a result of that case and several other controversial police shootings, the city established a police review board last year. Kolender continues to be sharply criticized for his role in the selection of the board members, and a charter review commission is preparing a ballot measure for November that would substantially strengthen the powers of the board.

Most recently, the department was criticized by the San Diego County district attorney in connection with the death of Tommie C. Dubose, a black man shot in his home by police officers serving a search warrant. The district attorney said that the shooting was justified but that police entered the home without sufficient warning.

“I don’t think there’s any ideal time for a police chief to leave the city, just in terms of the controversies that occur in a police department within a larger city,” said McGrory, the deputy city manager. “There’s just no ideal time.”

During Kolender’s tenure, 11 police officers were killed in the line of duty. Several police administrators say they have seen the pressures of the job take their toll on Kolender.

“That many wears on you,” said Sgt. Anne O’Dell, a police spokeswoman. “It has been hard on him. It has been very difficult.”

Community Reactions Mixed

In the community, his departure drew mixed reactions.

“He’s held the position a long time,” said the Rev. George Walker Smith, spokesman for the Civilian Advisory Panel on Police Practices.

“And, in a very sensitive and volatile position like that, he has done well. He’s been one of the most sensitive chiefs we’ve ever had as far as minorities are concerned. I think he’s served very well.”

Smith said he believes Kolender’s successor should come from within the department.

“Over the last year, I’ve had enough time to visit with and work with the top staff,” he said. “I think there are two or three folks who would be very good for the position. But I’m not going to single out anybody. I’m not going to ordain anyone.”

Roberto Martinez, co-chairman of the minority community’s Coalition for Law and Justice and a constant critic of Kolender and his department, suggested that Lockwood look outside San Diego for a new chief.

“I don’t think there’s anybody at headquarters we can trust right now,” Martinez said. “So I think it should come down to them looking outside.

“Right now, the minority community, Chicanos and blacks, don’t have much confidence in the way the Police Department is being run,” he said. “And people like me are not speaking third-hand. We live in the community and we see the problems. We look for answers but we don’t get them.”

‘I Hope He Does Better’

Martinez also said he sees an incongruity in that Kolender is being asked to be responsible for community relations for the newspapers, a task Martinez said the chief failed in while heading the Police Department.

“I hope he does a better job there than he did with managing the San Diego Police Department,” he said. “For whatever it’s worth, I hope he does better in the future.”

Pat Thistle, former legal representative of the San Diego Police Officers Assn., said: “I had my run-ins with him. But I think overall, history will serve him well.

“He operated under adverse circumstances, with the town growing up so fast around him, and the closeness to the border, and the Police Department trying to keep up. This guy has had his share of the usual and unusual problems. And I think he did fairly well.”

Kolender’s departure will come a week after a new city retirement policy takes effect July 1 that will give the outgoing chief a slightly larger pension. Under the new policy, he will receive a pension totaling 60% to 70% of his current $83,000 annual salary. His city retirement package includes annual 2% cost-of-living adjustments and personal health insurance.

Under the City Charter, Lockwood has the authority to appoint Kolender’s successor, but the City Council has the power to confirm or reject the choice. Only two other city employees, the fire chief and the city treasurer, are subject to that process. However, the council cannot direct Lockwood, who reportedly knew about Kolender’s pending job negotiations for several months, to conduct a national search for a new chief.

An ‘Outstanding’ Record

Councilman Ed Struiksma, who served nine years on the San Diego police force, suggested that Burgreen, Stamper or Guaderrama would be good candidates for the job.

He also said he believes Kolender established an “outstanding” record as chief.

“He’s brought in a number of innovative programs during his tenure as police chief,” Struiksma said. “He came in well-respected, and he leaves well-respected.”

Councilman Bruce Henderson also said he thinks it best that the new chief come from inside the department.

“From the chief’s perspective, it makes a lot of sense because the closer you get to an announced retirement age, the more you become a lame duck and decisions become made without you,” Henderson said.

According to Copley’s statement, Kolender will not be involved in the news and editorial departments of the newspapers.

“We believe he brings to us an excellent background coupled with a seldom-equaled knowledge of our community,” Copley said. “He will add to our breadth of information as we look forward to the growth of our newspapers.”

Several reporters said the newsrooms at the San Diego Union and Tribune were stunned by the announcement.

Times staff writer Leonard Bernstein contributed to this report.