In September, the city of Salinas hired Adele Fresé as its 22nd police chief – and the first female chief in the city’s 143-year history.
Fresé knew going into the job that she had her work cut out for her: The Salinas Police Department experienced a breakdown in its relationship with the community after four fatal officer-involved shootings in 2014, leading to a state Department of Justice review. What Fresé didn’t expect going into the job was how much fear she would see in the community in the wake of the Nov. 8, 2016 election.
Even with big-picture things like that on her mind, she notices small details, like a reporter’s shoes. She instantly switches into the mode of shoe salesperson – a job she held for two years working at Saks Fifth Avenue during college. “You’re fairly wide? I’d put you in an 11 with an inner sole,” she says, after recognizing a particular brand.
Fresé went from selling shoes to serving as a U.S. Marine before becoming the proverbial “flat foot,” or beat cop. She served in Texas on the Corpus Christi Police Department for 20 years, then in 2014 moved to California to become Greenfield’s police chief, before Salinas’.
Weekly: What are you hearing from residents about the relationship between the community and the police department?
Fresé: For the most part they are very interested in building up the relationship. Of course, only minutes into the conversation I turn it around and take it a step further and ask them, “Well what are you willing to do, are you willing to work with us?” I’m very happy to say most of them answer in the affirmative – yes, they would like to – so that is a wonderful sign.
For the first two months the comments I heard had to do with relationship-building. And then in the past month it’s mostly been about immigration.
Has the immigration issue created new challenges?
I anticipate it will be challenging for the boots on the ground. However, what’s been unexpected is the level of fear. What I’m starting to explain to people that it’s simply not the purview of city police to be a part of immigration enforcement. We [will] partner with these federal entities in cases of people with felony warrants, people who are carrying guns and are not allowed to and people who are involved in gang activity. Notice, in each of these I say “people,” not “immigrants,” because it doesn’t matter; if they happened to be unauthorized immigrants, then they may or may not get deported. But if [working with federal officials is] a tool we can use at a police department that is so desperately understaffed, then we will absolutely use that tool to make our community safer. Having said that, we haven’t been working with them. I don’t want to give the impression we won’t ever work with a significant law enforcement branch.
How understaffed is SPD?
I think everyone is tired of hearing how understaffed we are. I’m tired of hearing of how understaffed we are. But I wish I had a solid way to inform the community of what it really means to be this desperately, dramatically understaffed. What’s authorized currently is way too low. A department this size, with the needs this city has, with the call volume we have, with the violent crime issues we have, and everything that goes into prevention and working with youth… we need about 250 police. We currently have 136.
However, with a big caveat – I just hired one this week who is an academy grad, I have eight in the academy right now, and the super-happy news is we have nine starting this [week] in the academy. I’ve hired three [officers from other departments] since I’ve been here, and I’ve got one in the process now. Right now we have 13 slots available. Our current authorized strength today is 172. So it’s one thing to say I’m tired of hearing it, no excuses. You need to listen a little closer to what it means. You can’t win the Indianapolis 500 when you only have one guy in the pit.
City Manager Ray Corpuz said at your swearing-in ceremony that your experience with community policing was a key reason you were hired. What will that look like in the future?
I want it to be less programmatic and more philosophical. We should not depend on programs to create a community policing model. What I strive for is to create the type of relationship and way of doing business between our police and community members that naturally provides for dual problem solving, mutual respect and understanding that we are here to protect and serve.