Fresno Police Jerry Dyer. File Photo

The City of Fresno released responses from community meetings and online surveys to understand what the public wants in a new police chief.

In response to Police Chief Jerry Dyer’s announced retirement, the online survey conducted by Mayor Lee Brand’s administration received nearly 1,400 responses. The questionnaire was available in English, Spanish, and Hmong.

Of the most pressing issues the public felt the police chief would face, homelessness, gang activity, drugs and crime in general topped the list in two different questions.

When asked what characteristics people wanted in their new police chief, trustworthiness and honesty were followed by integrity and understanding.

The survey was available from mid-April through the end of June.

The city also held five community meetings, one in each policing district, to give residents the opportunity to voice their concerns, define community policing in their own words and voice what changes they would like to see in police-community relations.

Brand made community feedback a vital part of the search and all comments presented by the community have been sent to Teri Black and Company, a recruiting consultant based in Torrance, California to help recruit potential candidates from a nationwide search.

Meetings with chosen candidates will be held in mid-August and interview panels will include city officials and members of the community.

The community response is now available along with videos of the five community meetings on the city’s website. Hard copies of the survey were also made available for those without Internet access.

Dyer will officially retire on October 16.