The police chief must prove that honesty and openness are paramount

McTaggart doesn’t just bear the burden of public relations and leadership. City Manager Scott Sanders hired McTaggart for a largely private process that, according to Register reporting, selected two finalists who did not rank in the top two in the city Civil Service Commission’s certification of eight qualified candidates for the job. By limiting public input to the period before the candidates were identified, Sanders and his bosses, the Des Moines City Council, are taking full responsibility for McTaggart’s performance. They should not hesitate to police when they see police failure to meet community standards without a corrective response.

“He will lead our policing into the future,” Mayor Connie Boesen said Wednesday, “and will continue to build the department’s relationship within our community, which is a key priority not only for the manager, but also for the council .”

Earn the public’s trust now as law enforcement continues to evolve

McTaggart is an experienced officer and leaves a trail of work behind him. He was named as a defendant in several lawsuits filed in response to the protests and arrests in Des Moines that occurred following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. As a watch commander, he was often not on site when officers made sometimes difficult and sometimes bad judgments about arrests and crowd management. He was responsible, if not legally culpable, for what officers on the street did then. As chief, that responsibility only increases, and he must train and manage officers to improve those judgments.

Public awareness of inequitable policing across the country has increased dramatically during Wingert’s tenure as chief, which was also marked by tragic deaths while on duty. “I have watched the years unfold that have been difficult for him, including the loss of officers and a major change in the political climate,” Councilman Chris Coleman said Wednesday.