PHOENIX — The president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA) is confident that Matt Giordano was the best choice to become the city’s police chief.
The city announced Tuesday that Giordano, executive director of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST), will be the next Phoenix Police chief.
A day later, PLEA president Darrell Kriplean said Giordano is the right man for the job for a variety of reasons.
“Matt has the institutional knowledge of this department having served here for so long, but he’s been gone long enough that he can come in with a fresh perspective and look at all the factors that went into the DOJ report, the things that have been debunked, … our continuous improvement measures and how we are going to continue to improve as an agency,” Kriplean told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.
Giordano was one of three finalists for the position alongside Prince George’s County (Maryland) Police Chief Malik Aziz and former DeKalb County (Georgia) Police Chief Mirtha V. Ramos. He spent more than 20 years with the Phoenix Police Department before he retired as a commander and became executive director of AZPOST.
Kriplean expects Matt Giordano to attract people to Phoenix PD
Kriplean said that he believes Giordano’s expertise and leadership experience will not only help bring in future applicants but retain officers who are eligible to retire.
The PLEA president highlighted Giordano’s background as executive director of AZPOST as one of his most alluring factors.
“I think that gives him credibility to lead us in a way that our community knows that officers will be held accountable when its appropriate,” Kriplean said.
“I think that should give some comfort to those folks that are hypercritical of the police department and feel that officers act with impunity.”
Kriplean was part of one of three hiring panels that interviewed the candidates and said what stood out about Giordano was he could feel his dedication, loyalty and love for the community and department.
The PLEA president noted that with Giordano as a leader and the recent votes on bond issues, he is confident that the Phoenix Police Department will gain back the reputation it once had — which will also help with the department’s recruitment effort.
Kriplean identified retention as the one of the top priorities being focused on as Giordano steps into his new role as chief.
“We’ve got to make sure that we keep the institutional knowledge with the officers that we have,” Kriplean said. “We’re coming up on a crucial time in our department where there’s going to be several hundred that are going to eligible to retire, and we need to make sure this is the place that they want to continue to serve and stay versus going somewhere else. In addition, we’ve talked about how to increase morale and officer wellness, but also do our job and be able to serve our community in the way that the community expects. And manpower and staffing is a huge component of that.”
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