Politics and Government

Bay Area Police Chief Is Changing Attitudes, But Not Without Roadblocks

Published May 14, 2015 at 11:40 AM CDT

Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus poses for a photo on Jan. 29, 2015, in Richmond, Calif. The openly gay, white police chief of this tough, minority-dominated Northern California city held up a sign reading “#blacklivesmatter” during a demonstration protesting the deaths of two unarmed black suspects at the hands of Missouri and New York police. The photo of Magnus holding the sign went viral, sparking criticism from the local police officers’ union and debate over whether his participation was appropriate. (Ben Margot/AP)

As cases in Madison, Wisc., Baltimore, Md., Ferguson, Mo. and elsewhere in the U.S. are stirring the debate over the proper use of police force, one of the police chiefs that has been tapped by states and the federal government to help improve community-police relations and work toward reform is Richmond, Calif.’s Chris Magnus.

Magnus is credited with turning around a department that had a decade-long reputation for racism and ruthlessness by a small group of officers known as the “Cowboys.” Homicides in the Bay Area city of 110,000 are down from 47 in 2007 to just 11 last year. Police-involved shootings have also gone down, after the chief overhauled how his officers are trained and patrol.

But that’s not without issues. In September, Richmond saw the police shooting of Richard Perez, the first fatality at the hands of police in the city since 2007.

Here & Now’s Robin Young speaks with Chief Magnus for a look at what he’s done to reduce crime and what those recent incidents of questionable police force mean for community relations.

Guest

Chris Magnus, chief of police for The City of Richmond. He tweets @RPDChiefMagnus.