Remembrance for former Mayor Tom Minor, City of San Bernardino, Bobbitt Memorial Chapel, September 27, 2012:
My name is Lee Dean. Mayor Tom Minor hired me in 1996 as his Chief of Police for the City of San Bernardino—this in spite of the fact that one of my predecessors, Chief Warren Cocke, admonished me to seek mental health assistance before accepting the appointment, and in any event, to insist on a contract. Before arriving in San Bernardino I was Chief of Police in Vacaville California, a relatively affluent community with relatively low crime.
I want to share a few reflections on behalf of not only myself, but also on behalf of the many members of the SBPD who served with Mayor Minor or under his administration.
Mayor Minor dedicated a large part of his life to serving his community, first as a law enforcement officer and then as Mayor for the City of San Bernardino. Very early in my tenure as Chief of Police I made the statement that I was coming to San Bernardino, “with my eyes open”. This statement somehow made its way into the press, which caused my very loyal Assistant Chief, Wayne Harp, to graciously help me to understand that no one came to San Bernardino with their eyes open; as his father used to say, “this ain’t no tea-sippin town”. I had no way of knowing at the time how spot-on Chief Harp’s counsel was—which didn't take long to figure out. I shared this exchange with Mayor Minor, and he was quick to affirm the wisdom that Assistant Chief Harp had imparted to me. Over the succeeding years, Mayor Minor and I more than once enjoyed a healthy laugh over this “welcome to reality” moment.
Mayor Minor had an abiding respect and fondness for the men and women of the SBPD which he was quick to share—it was easy to see that whether you served on his watch or followed in his footsteps, Mayor Minor held a deep appreciation for the members of his former organization, who reflected the highest traditions in their chosen profession.
When you dealt with Tom Minor, you very quickly gained a sense for his honesty and candor. As noted, he hired me as Chief of Police for San Bernardino. In our early negotiations at the Radisson Hotel over lunch, he asked what it would take to get me to come to San Bernardino—my response was an employment contract; which was at least in-part owing to the earlier counsel I had received from former Chief of Police Warren Cocke. Mayor Minor said that while they had never offered anyone a contract, he wasn’t opposed to exploring the possibility. We agreed that I would return to Vacaville, and that he would look into the feasibility of meeting my request. The long and short of it is that in subsequent weeks, a contract was hammered out, and I was invited to a City Council meeting at which my confirmation as the city's new Chief of Police was on the agenda.
On the eve of this City Council meeting, the phone rang in my room at the Radisson Hotel; Mayor Minor was calling to let me know that certain council members were insisting that language be added to my contract to mandate hiring of police personnel to parallel the demographic makeup of the community. I told Mayor Minor that in my humble opinion, this would be problematic for any new police chief—I shared with him my reasoning and he listened thoughtfully. He asked me to keep an open mind and meet with the city manager nonetheless. He also said that whatever my decision, he would support it. As predicted, the proposed additional language became a potential deal-breaker. The following morning, true to his word, Mayor Minor took a position to affirm my appointment as Chief of Police—without any changes to the original language of our agreement. He acted on that day with integrity and purpose and on all the subsequent days that I had the privilege of serving under his administration. Following my swearing in, I had the honor of meeting Mayor Minor’s wife, Virginia—she was, and is, a most gracious and humble person; someone who made me feel more than welcome. Tom’s SBPD family sends their profound condolences to Virginia, and