2 Police Administrators Seek to Succeed Hurtt

With Police Chief Harold Hurtt’s announcement that he has accepted the top cop post in Phoenix, two of the Oxnard force’s top administrators said Wednesday they will apply for the job.

Assistant Chief Tom Cady, head of the investigation and administrative divisions, and Assistant Chief Stan Myers, who oversees the department’s patrol operations, said they will apply for Hurtt’s position, which he is set to leave April 28.

A decision has not been made on who will be selected as interim chief.

Both Oxnard residents have been with the department 26 years. Hurtt promoted Myers, 50, to his current position in 1993, and Cady, 49, became assistant chief a year later.

“This is one of those opportunities that when you first become a policeman if you don’t dream of the end as being this, you should,” Myers said.

“I think when you enter police service you should have a goal to use the different ranks as steppingstones to gain knowledge, and ultimately the goal should be [serving] the community,” said Myers, who is married and has two adult daughters and two grandchildren.

Cady said becoming Oxnard’s next law enforcement leader would be a major personal and professional achievement.

“Chief Hurtt has been an excellent example of an outstanding police administrator. It would be the realization of a great goal to follow in his footsteps,” said Cady, who is married and has a daughter attending college.

Cmdr. Jeff Young, who oversees the department’s professional standards and communications divisions, said from his Camarillo home Wednesday that he is “seriously considering” applying for Hurtt’s post but must first talk with his wife and four children before making a decision later this week.

Young, 42, said he has been with the department 20 years after serving briefly with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and as a reserve officer in Ojai.

“A lot of my training and experience has been geared toward that job,” Young said.

Police Cmdr. John Crombach, who oversees the department’s special weapons and tactics unit, said Wednesday he would not apply for the vacant post. Last year, Crombach applied for Port Hueneme’s police chief post, but later withdrew his application to continue overseeing improvements to Oxnard’s SWAT operations.

Crombach, 44, who has been with the department 13 years, said he wants to become better versed in other areas of the department before such a promotion. In July, Crombach said he is scheduled to become the commander of the investigations unit.

The appointment of a new chief will be made by City Manager Ed Sotelo, who was expected to choose from a list of candidates to be provided by the end of July by an employment search firm.

“He wants the best candidate for the position, and if they come from in-house, that’s fine,” said Lino Corona, the city’s personnel manager.

Corona said the search firm would also provide Sotelo with a list of candidates to fill the city’s vacant fire chief position. Randy Coggan stepped down as fire chief more than a year ago to move to Seattle, Corona said. Henry Lenhart is serving as acting chief.