Stamper Out of Running for Dallas Police Chief

Assistant San Diego Police Chief Norm Stamper said Friday he has taken himself out of the running for chief of the Dallas Police Department because the San Diego department “is where I want to stay.”

Stamper and Deputy Chief Manny Guaderrama were two of 13 semi-finalists for the job, according to a list released Dec. 21 by the city of Dallas. Guaderrama could not be reached for comment Friday.

Stamper said he met Dec. 19 at Lindbergh Field with a search firm representing the city and was briefed on the situation in Dallas.

“I told the guy at the time my interest was slim,” he said. “We met for a couple of hours at the airport, and I heard about what’s going on in Dallas. I decided this is where I want to stay.”

The Dallas police chief’s job came open in September, when the city manager fired Chief Mack Vines after a grand jury indicted him on a misdemeanor perjury charge. Vines is accused of lying to a special panel that reviewed the 1989 firing of a Dallas police officer.

Stamper said he has been sought after for several jobs for which he has not applied, most recently the chief for Eugene, Ore. He said Guaderrama also had not applied.

“I called (Friday) morning to let them know officially that I’m not interested,” he said. “There are a lot of challenges right here.”

Stamper, 46, is second in command to Police Chief Bob Burgreen and runs the daily operations of the 1,850-member department. Guaderrama, 51, is a deputy chief in charge of field operations, which includes all traffic and patrol officers and the department’s SWAT team.