Closer look at six San Jose top cop finalists

San Jose - The city of San Jose had originally named six finalists for the police chief job. But late Tuesday, the only outside candidate - the chief of the embattled Minneapolis Police Department - removed himself from consideration.

In a statement, Chief Medaria Arradondo said he was "humbled and honored" to have been considered. But he said he would remain in Minneapolis to "enact transformational change" in a department whose officers were charged in the in-custody death of George Floyd.

The remaining candidates all have ties to San Jose police, and some community members believe an insider should be picked as chief.

"We need a police chief that knows this community and that this community might be familiar with," said the Rev. Jethroe Moore, president of the San Jose-Silicon Valley chapter of the NAACP.

Deputy Chief David Tindall is now serving as acting top cop. He briefed the media Monday on the department's first deadly shooting by police this year. Tindall is also president of the California Homicide Investigators Association.

Deputy Chief Anthony Mata is the department's executive officer, supervising fiscal, budget and research units.

Deputy Chief Heather Randol heads the bureau of field operations, overseeing patrol officers. She has worked in internal affairs, recruiting and served as a point person for the media.

Capt. Jason Ta has overseen patrol, traffic, sexual assaults and missing persons. Ta told KTVU he can be an agent of change. 

"Part of the strengths that I bring is that I  can really relate to a whole bunch of people from all different segments of our city," Ta said.

Jeremy Bowers is chief of police in the small East Bay city of Piedmont. But he previously spent 20 years with San Jose police. In a statement, Bowers said he looked forward to the selection process but noted, "My focus remains with the women and men of the Piedmont Police Department, City of Piedmont and the work we do to serve the community."

The internal San Jose candidates declined to be interviewed.

Rosie Chavez, a community activist with Silicon Valley De-Bug, said, "All I know is that there has to be some true accountability and transparency with the public."

All the finalists will take part in a virtual forum on Saturday that will be broadcast live on San Jose's YouTube channel. They will then answer questions from community panels next week. Afterward, the field of five will be further narrowed.