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Three Palo Alto police chief finalists announced
Interim Chief Dennis Burns joins top cops from San Carlos, Fairfield

by Gennady Sheyner
Palo Alto Online Staff

Posted by Anon, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 1:06 pm

It doesn't make any sense for them to hire from the outside. Dennis Burns has been with the department all of his career and knows the PD and its officers inside and out. He should be the one getting the position, not a current police chief from another department.

Posted by anon, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 1:12 pm

I agree. He is definitely the best candidate. Cmon Keene!

Posted by Inconsequential, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 1:42 pm

Also agree with the above comments. Palo Alto is fortunate to have Dennis Burns. What a travesty if he is not picked for police chief.

Posted by Sylvia, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 1:57 pm

While Dennis Burns may be an excellent candidate and ultimately be selected as our next Police Chief, there is another school of thought. Sometimes, if the person or group (Council or the City Manager) feel that there are any problems within the department they may choose an outsider who would be more likely to address said problems. I'm not saying there are any such issues, but sometimes cities decide on an outsider for this reason.

Posted by anon, a resident of the Greater Miranda neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 2:16 pm

San Carlos is a pretty militaristic department. Not sure if that would jive with PA. Fairfield. Don't know about them. Not sure why the Chief there would want to move. Anyway, sounds like the interim chief is the way to go.

Posted by Joey, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 2:42 pm

Dennis Burns is the perfect man for the job. I have known him for many years when he used to come to schools for the GREAT program.

Way to go Officer Burns!

Posted by Cal, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 3:49 pm

I am sure Keene will make the politically correct decision, checking with council before making any decision that may effect his job. Perhaps what Palo Alto needs even more now is a strong city manager who is willing to take the reins of city goverment and unite the community with those employees that have committed themselves to the well being of city residents for 20-30 years. As an outsider himself, I am sure the option of hiring from the outside will rule. Good luck!

Posted by keep going, a resident of the Southgate neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 3:57 pm

Don't y'all know? It's POLITICAL. Everyone knows Burns is, hands down, the best person for the job. That's a no brainer.

Burns is the BEST. Any other PD would be happy AND lucky to have him lead their organization.

Jim,Don't cast Burns aside, you have no idea what this would do.

Posted by Mustard mayo, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 4:06 pm

[Post removed due to same poster using multiple names]

Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 7:18 pm

This will be a political decision. Our City Manager has received input from two Committees, the Community, and most importantly from the Police Officers whoze boss the next Chief will be.

Posted by Outside Observer, a resident of another community, on Jul 28, 2009 at 9:05 pm

Anon's comments on Anon's first post are exactly the reason Burns won't be appointed chief.

I don't think CM Keene wants the status quo. He doesn't want repeats of Pat Briggs, Albert Hopkins, Jorge Hernandez, etc, etc, etc.

Keene also has a history of going to the outside for appointments like this.

I sure hope he keeps to form on this one.

Posted by Kate, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 10:01 pm

Dennis Burns - YES!!

Posted by Anon the 1st, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 1:53 am

To Outside Observer:

While I see your point of view, I happen to have also seen both sides of the coin. The last time they hired a chief from an outside agency, he promised to change and reform the PD, instead...all he did was change the colors of the police vehicles to the more traditional black and white and update the uniform shoulder patches. He refused to make any real decisions and ultimately paved the way for the mess that Lynn Johnson inherited.

My point is that Dennis Burns has not only been with the PD for a long time, but he is also a solid cop. The man is intelligent and a great leader and I can see that has the knowledge and skills to move the department ahead and actually make a change.

He has already shown this by holding community meetings at Cubberly and by giving the citizens of Palo Alto a voice to the usually unapproachable PAPD.

I will get off my soapbox now.

Posted by David Kent, a resident of Menlo Park, on Jul 29, 2009 at 5:05 am

HONESTLY........San Carlos Police Chief Gregory Rothaus needs to fix San Carlos PD and make up his mind where he wants to work. San Carlos to Menlo Park Police then back to San Carlos PD and now Palo Alto? My good friend works for San Carlos PD and tells me that the Chief does not care about issues in the department in San Carlos due to short timer syndrome (he just wants to leave) and the morale in the department is at an all time low due to the the unknown future of any leadership. Fairfield is just too far and the Crime rate is high in that City. I am not sure how the Fairfield Chief would respond to the Palo Alto Community. Fairfield has a huge Gang problem and the Police Department is not the same as PAPD. I believe Chief Burns would be the best pick for PAPD.

Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 7:23 am

My guess is that Kenton Rainey the Fairfield Chief will be our next Police Chief. It won't necessarily be the best choice but it will be the politically correct choice after Chief Johnson misspoke.

Posted by centerville, a resident of the The Greenhouse neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 10:19 am

No way will Kenton Rainey be the next police chief. After he was asked to resign from Fairfield, no one there liked him, he has now become sloppy seconds. Certainly not the right fit for Palo Alto. It's got to be Dennis Burns. He's the most qualified and the most dedicated. And he's a good person.

Posted by Outside Observer, a resident of another community, on Jul 29, 2009 at 10:29 am

Anon the 1st,

You are right about the last chief they hired from the outside. He only stayed for 5 years, just long enough to be "vested" and get free health care for life on Palo Alto's dime. He certainly did pave the way for Chief Johnson, and she has paved the way for Burns.

Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 11:09 am

Choosing a Police Chief in PA has little to do with past performance; the position must be filled with a politically correct individual. When Lynn Johnson was named Police Chief it had much more to do with her being female and breaking the glass ceiling than it had to do with her ability to be Palo Alto's Police Chief.

The City Council hears every week from certain individuals who claim Dennis Burns is tainted with the same brush as his predecessor. The City Manager and Council will want to quiet those persistent voices.

Anyway we shall see.

Posted by Ray Bacchetti, a resident of the University South neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 11:54 am

Here are some reasons why Dennis Burns should be our next chief. It takes many qualities to make a good police officer, and he exemplifies them all. Cops need to know their stuff. (I volunteer in the department, so I have some idea how much they must master in terms of the law, procedure, tactics, first aid, self-defense, public relations, gathering and securing evidence, keeping up on criminal techniques, especially in computer crimes, etc. It's a staggeringly long list.) They need to put themselves in harm's way to keep the rest of us out of it. (In the Department roster, the name of officers who died in the line of duty are included, in bold print, with the entry, "end of watch" and date of death. Our Department has three such entries.) They need to be role models for our children, convey confidence to elders, and, for everyone, to "protect and serve." Among the motivations that draw men and women into police work is that of caring, of keeping people safe, of bringing professional skill and training to recovery after the chaos of a crime, an accident, a natural disaster. Knitting all this together is their humanity, their commitment to each of us individually and to our community's well being. No one exemplifies this set of qualities and the ability to lead and manage a department that embodies them better than Acting Chief Burns. If he were on some other police force, hiring him away would feel like winning the lottery. But he's not somewhere else. He's here. Now. We don't have to steal him from elsewhere. This lottery jackpot is already ours. Let's keep it!

Posted by brian, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 4:48 pm

Besides being an excellent cop and a good person, Dennis Burns is highly thought of by the rank and file. Unlike the previous chiefs he has consistently made efforts to reach out to the community. His monthly "Meet The Chief" efforts have presented topics such as identity theft, protecting oneself against burglary/theft, etc. And questions were answered openly.

Jim Keene has to make a choice and present it to the City Council. I hope they choose Burns.

Posted by Amy, a resident of the Palo Alto Hills neighborhood, on Jul 30, 2009 at 3:10 am

DENNIS BURNS FOR CHIEF. THEY SHOULD ALLOW RESIDENTS TO VOTE CHIEFS INTO OFFICE. THE COMMUNITY HAS SPOKEN. DENNIS BURNS FOR CHIEF OF THE PALO ALTO POLICE DEPARTMENT.

Posted by A Cop from outside agency, a resident of another community, on Aug 5, 2009 at 9:53 am

Dennis Burns is a great guy and great cop - that is undisputed. However, he is seen as a continuation of the old administration with the fear nothing will change under him. Of course, the POA does not want any change despite the fact they are seriously overstaffed and top heavy fir their crime rate.

Rainey seems like the politically correct choice right wrong or indifferent because of the comments made by Lynne Johnson which caused her (and Burns'?) demise. Rainey left a high paying job in Fairfield - simply walked out the door with no other job lined up. He was about to face a vote of no confidence from the POA there and was not well liked at all. Does PA really want someone else's problem? The POA does not want that shock! And as a final note - Souther California law enforcement style and northern are TOTALLY different. Hope the CM chooses wisely there.

Rothaus is well rounded working at different agencies throughout his career - which Mr Kent is in pursuit of challenges - noit being unable to make up one's mind. THe San Carlos Police Dept suffered its WORST times under Jim Grannucci - Rothaus has brought the morale to much higher levels than it has been in years. Of course there are a few disgruntled incompetents who do not see that. Rothaus' only disadvantage is his race, and he has been in smaller departments.

Nonetheless history has shown that a sitting chief has the advantage here. Good luck to all

Posted by Friend, a resident of another community, on Aug 5, 2009 at 10:54 am

I have been a friend of Dennis for over 28 years.

He does not always make the most popular decisions, but he makes the RIGHT decisions.

He is the RIGHT person for the next Police Chief.

Posted by Mary Jane, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Aug 8, 2009 at 11:18 am

It seems to me that Mr gregory Rothaus is the man for the job. He has served his citys well. He would due a wonderful job in Palo Alto. He has done a great job in San Carlos. he would be an asset to Palo Alto. Go Chief Rothaus.

Posted by Markus, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Aug 17, 2009 at 4:20 am

To ALL people who commented and all Burns supporters:

PA Daily Post of August 15 2009 includes a very negative front page article about Burns: "Critic blasts chief before City Council"

Reading the article I was appalled by the lack of any journalistic integrity. In my opinion, this article is pure anti Burns propagande! "Critic BLASTS...." headline is not substantiated in the article's text: "...James [the critic] ... said a story in the Post about burn's involvement in the controversial Albert Hopkins case case showed the need to hold public interviews...." ? This statement does not justify the "blasts" headline.

The articles author, Ian S. Port, repeatedly refers to his own newspaper as the a source for his report..... this is very shady journalism.

I won't bore you with the many additional journalistic issues of Mr. Ports story. He calls for public forums to talk to all three candidates, which I support.

I met Officer Burns once... we passed each other on the street. After him making a positive remark to me, we got to talk. I thought he were just a friendly neighborhood cop. Only later did I find out about his position.

This is the kind of person I want to have for chief!!!

Hiring outsiders will demotivate our best officers and I would then have to quesgion our city manager's qualification. If he makes the hiring a political issue, then he will have lost all my support.

Posted by Badbruno, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Aug 18, 2009 at 7:44 pm

I have know Greg for many years. He is a great person and great great leader. He would do well in Palo Alto!

Posted by Charles Bogle, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Sep 8, 2009 at 7:49 pm

Here we have a police chief that wants to reach out to the community by having secret meetings with 13 members of the neighborhood hand picked by the Chief. This citizens review board will not be a review board but perhaps another rubber stamp to avoid execessive force, racial profiling, and false arrest liabilities. When transparency is needed this is what we get. Strolling down memory lane wasn't it Captain Burns who was Sargent Yore's (of Children Theatre and other botched investigations) biggest cheerleader? Innocents have been arrested and beaten in Palo Alto and Burns will not allow a qualified defense attorney to sit on the committee? What does he have to fear? Who will be the other five officers on the committee? I hope he doesn't resuscitate Yore, Verberra and Kann! Most citizen review boards have no police on their committee which allows for more objectivity, but perhaps objectivity is not what is wanted in Palo Alto. Strict authoritarian guidelines should prevail and if anyone of the committee doesn't toe the line...well we have our methods. Our new chief should be tough on crime not tough on the constitution.