Opinion: Chief Cantrell’s departure comes at the right time for her — and for the city of SLO

Just a couple of days after brushing off calls for her resignation, San Luis Obispo Police Chief Deanna Cantrell made a surprising announcement: She will, in fact, be leaving the department she’s led for nearly five years to become chief of police in Fairfield, California.

For Cantrell, it’s a fresh start in a much larger city with a bigger department — more than 100 officers in Fairfield, compared to 60 in San Luis Obispo.

For the record, she began the application process back in May, weeks before the July 21 arrest of protest leader Tianna Arata — a controversy that divided the city and led some to call for the chief’s resignation.

So no, contrary to a defense attorney’s statement that Cantrell’s departure “is a reaction to our requesting that she resign,” Cantrell is not being chased out by the recent criticism.

She’s leaving on her own terms. Good for her.

But probably, all things considered, good for San Luis Obispo as well.

For city leaders, this is an opportunity to hire a new police chief who will lead the department forward at a time when the entire nation, including San Luis Obispo, is demanding fundamental change in the way policing is done.

Traditional models of law enforcement are no longer working, and San Luis Obispo needs a leader who is both committed to change and, frankly, unencumbered by past controversies.

Here are some of the attributes we hope to see in SLO’s next selection to lead the Police Department:

• A chief who is willing to listen to the community and take whatever steps make the most sense — which could very well mean diverting some funds from the Police Department and transferring them to mental health, homeless services and other areas that have been too long neglected.
• A chief who recognizes that use of force — including shooting dogs and using tear gas on protesters — should be an absolute last resort, not just a standard tool in the arsenal.
• A chief who is committed to racial, ethnic, cultural and gender diversity. As Tribune writer Matt Fountain recently reported, the department has made gains in ethnic diversity, but only 10 of the its 60 officers are women.
• A chief who will be fully transparent when things go wrong, and will tell the community how the problem will be solved.
• A chief who is creative, shares the progressive values of San Luis Obispo, who has a strong sense of justice and who recognizes that San Luis Obispo has a way to go before it’s a welcoming place for everyone, especially people of color.

Chief Cantrell embodies many of those traits, and we have deep respect for her, but there’s no getting around the fact that she’s made some regrettable mistakes, the worst of which have been condensed into the last year.

There is, of course, that time in 2019 when she left her gun in the restroom of the El Pollo Loco — an unfortunate episode that was picked up by news media across the country. Compounding that error, police then targeted the wrong man as the person suspected of picking up the weapon.

More recently, she authorized use of tear gas against protesters, which several critics considered unnecessary.

But it’s her handling of Tianna Arata’s arrest — she recommended filing felony charges against her — that’s inflamed many in the community and made San Luis Obispo a national poster child for oppression of the Black Lives Matter movement.

As we’ve said before, Cantrell seemed more concerned about teaching Arata a lesson than finding a reasonable and just way to deal with protesters.

San Luis Obispo needs a leader who will take a different approach.

Ignoring or downplaying demands for social justice — including an end to police violence against people of color — will only lead to more unrest. Trying to criminalize the cause is even worse.

We get it. It’s not an easy job. It’s hard to imagine a more challenging time to be in law enforcement, let alone as a chief of police.

To find the right person to lead San Luis Obispo’s department, the recruitment and vetting process must include the community — similar to how the process worked in Arroyo Grande.

As Fountain described, Arroyo Grande sought input from community groups such as RACE Matters SLO and the local NAACP chapter, and “pursued a vigorous vetting process that included one-on-one discussions with Police Department and other city staff.”

The city ultimately promoted then-Commander Mike Martinez, who is now the city’s first chief of Latino heritage.

We strongly urge the city of San Luis Obispo to take a similar approach. Reach out to a broad cross-section of the community — as well as to members of the Police Department — for guidance on choosing a new chief.

Don’t rush the process; we need to get this right.

This is a challenging, yet exciting time for the city.

Policing is undergoing a profound change, and San Luis Obispo has the opportunity to be at the forefront.

We wish Chief Cantrell well in her new position and look forward to a vigorous, thoughtful and inclusive search for her successor.