Interim Chief Harry Bailey
  • AM
  • Interim Chief Harry Bailey
Do you think I'm kidding? I AM NOT! Fresh on the heels of news that Assistant Chief Clark Kimerer is retiring—and rumors that Assistant Chief Jim Pugel may be as well—comes some new news at SPD, just announced by interim police chief Harry Bailey: Former assistant chief Nick Metz is back in the top ranks. (Can you even keep track of this shit anymore? Don't worry, we're working on a drinking game to help you.)

Let's back up one quick second: In November, the federal police monitor warned in a report that warring factions in the senior command staff at SPD were blocking reform efforts. Directly after the damning report, then-interim-chief Pugel demoted two of his senior staffers, Nick Metz and Dick Reed, from their roles as assistant chiefs to captains.

This morning, as part of an announcement of multiple structural and staff changes, Chief Bailey announced on the SPD Blotter "the promotion of Captain Nick Metz to Assistant Chief."

As for those structural changes, he announced the reorganization of what was the Professional Standards Bureau into the new Compliance and Professional Standards Bureau, to put the work toward compliance with federal reform requirements under one roof, plus the creation of a Homeland Security Bureau.

I said it this morning, I said it on Slog and in the paper: Change in the higher ranks of SPD is good. It looks good to the public, which is still feeling pissed off at what seems like an intractable department taking forever to fix its issues, and it is good for SPD, where in many areas resistance to reform efforts has been festering, according to the federal monitor. But not all change equals good change.

And this looks like the reformers in SPD being swept out the door, while the people who have opposed them getting back in power. Which is some creepy shit.