Last year, three cities in San Diego County hired police chiefs. All three cities — Escondido, National City and El Cajon — promoted top brass from within their police departments with little public input and transparency.

That was the norm.

It was what Oceanside City Manager Deanna Lorson noticed a few months ago when the time came to find a successor to replace the city’s police chief, Frank McCoy, who will retire at the end of the year. With the hires across the county in 2019 in mind, Lorson started an internal recruitment.

“Of course, 2020 is different” she said recently.

Read more: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2020-11-16/cities-face-calls-for-transparency-public-input-in-hiring-of-police-chiefs