It is no secret that Winslow has a police chief problem. Over the last nine years, the city has had almost as many department heads. Since the departure of Chief Stephen Garnett in 2016, the law enforcement agency has struggled to hold on to leadership.
Currently at the helm is Lieutenant Ernesto “Ernie” Cano, a tenured officer with the department who is serving as interim chief of police. Cano took over the department after the retirement of Franklin Caldwell Jr., the previous chief, who served for roughly nine months. Caldwell’s final day was Nov. 22 of last year, and for nine months the city has been trying to fill the position with a permanent hire.
Before Caldwell, the department brought in an external chief of police, Kevin Treadway, to take over within two months of the departure of the previous chief, Ken Arend, in 2023. That decision came at a greater cost to the city than promoting an internal interim chief, as it has done with Cano.
When asked regarding the situation, Winslow City Manager David Coolidge stated, “Lt. Cano has been serving in this role for the past eight months, providing stability and continuity for the police department and city residents. The city has not sought an external candidate for interim chief during this recruitment, as Lt. Cano was in a position to lead the department during this transition.”
In May, Coolidge said the city had closed its application period for the position, interviewed candidates, and was preparing for final interviews and public events. That process stalled when, according to Coolidge, the applicants withdrew themselves from consideration.
A second recruitment effort began on May 22 and concluded on June 15, but again ended without a hire due to candidate withdrawals. “Recruitment of a police chief can be a time-consuming and difficult process to find the right fit for both the candidate and the city,” Coolidge said. He noted that even larger cities face similar challenges, pointing to Phoenix’s recent search for a chief. That position had been open since 2022 and was only filled in early July after a prolonged search marked by a notable candidate withdrawal.
“At this point, the city has not reopened a third recruitment and is reassessing its strategy and options for recruitment,” Coolidge said. For now, Cano will continue leading the Winslow Police Department, receiving an additional 10% in compensation for the role on top of his lieutenant salary.
While there is no set timeline for the next recruitment attempt, Winslow remains in a holding pattern, balancing the need for stable leadership with the ongoing challenge of finding someone willing to take the job for the long haul.
