Monterey Park : Police Lieutenant Promoted

Police Lt. Dan Cross, a 16-year veteran of the department, has been promoted to captain, filling a vacancy created when former Capt. Joseph Santoro left to become Monrovia police chief last fall.

A controversy over the selection process and qualifications for a new captain had pitted former police Chief Ken Hickman against the city’s personnel board.

The board said Hickman, who recommended that a captain have a college degree and at least three years of management experience, told them there would not be enough in-house candidates eligible for the position.

Hickman said that, according to city rules, in-house searches require at least six eligible candidates. He said that if the board adopted his recommended job criteria, which it did, there would not be the necessary number of in-house candidates. Therefore, he asked that the job be opened to outside applicants. The dispute triggered a series of events that led to Hickman’s resignation last week.

Fourteen people, including 12 in-house candidates, applied for the position. Cross, who began his duties as captain last Tuesday, has four years of management experience and has a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a master’s degree in public administration.