Conversation with Jim Rieser

After nearly three decades working for the Sarasota Police Department, on Jan. 29, Jim Rieser stepped into one of the few positions he hadn’t held: chief.

City Manager Marlon Brown announced Rieser’s promotion from captain two days after former Chief Bernadette DiPino’s resignation. Brown said the city was happy to hire from within, stating Rieser was well-positioned to provide a smooth transition of leadership and pick up on ongoing initiatives within the police department.

A Sarasota native, Rieser said he was humbled by and excited about the opportunity. Less than two weeks into the job, we asked the chief about his new duties and his goals for the law enforcement agency.

What qualities allowed you to rise up through the ranks of the department and ultimately to the police chief position?

I think first and foremost is love of what you do. I’ve always wanted to be a police officer; I’ve loved it. And then I think the other thing is you’ve got to work hard, right? You’ve got to really put your nose to the grindstone and really get to work. And that’s something that I try to do each and every day. You know, even as a kid, I was a fix-it person. I didn’t like it when people were upset as a kid and even as a young adult. And as a police officer, it was a natural transition. You go to disputes; you go to things where people need things fixed.

I’m a member of this community. My wife and I moved here 20 years ago, bought a house— best decision we ever made, I can tell you that. Raised our family here. I think those factors have really helped me. I’m humbled by it. I know the enormity of it. I know the responsibility that it comes with and how important it is to have someone that is leading by example, doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I think that’s helped me get to here, where I’m at right now. And let’s not forget about a little luck, right?

The transition of power was relatively abrupt, at least from the outside. What has it been like for you?

It’s been great, actually, There’s been amazing positive feedback in the police department, just in my interactions with all the police officers here and the civilian staff. I’m surprised I can get out the door here with people saying so many fabulous things about me, and I love that. I’m not a big compliment guy — I give compliments; I never really ever looked to get them. I’ve gotten more hugs than I’ve ever gotten in my entire life, I can tell you that, in the last week and a half, and it’s been amazing. My family supports me. The city manager, the deputy city manager, the mayor, the City Commission — they told me that they support this decision.

What are your initial priorities as you settle into this position?

I’ve reached out to as many community partners [as I could]. Obviously, all the local law enforcement, all of our partners, our friends, law enforcement family. The first phone calls I’ve made are to people in the community that I know are so important for us to work [with], that have our back, that support us, and we can’t do what we do without their support. And I wanted them to know who I am. They mostly know me anyway; I’ve known a lot of these people for decades.

I’m going to be making a deputy chief; that will happen fairly soon. I’ll have two captains after that and two lieutenants and two sergeants, so I really have an opportunity to make a whole new command staff. I think when the community sees who these people are, they’re going to know what I know: that they are amazingly capable, hard workers, and they have the city of Sarasota, this profession — law enforcement, this institution — and the officers and the civilians at this agency at their heart.

That’s who I want to surround myself with. I think those qualities so very important. I’ve always surrounded myself in every division I’ve ever worked, every unit, with the very best and people that are part of a team. I think that’s so important — you know, look at the Bucs. Bucs just brought in Tom Brady, but they didn’t just bring in Tom Brady, the best Super Bowl winner and quarterback. They also brought an amazing team around him because Tom Brady can’t win — and Jim Rieser can’t win this — on his own. So I need a great team.

You mentioned the importance of community policing in your introductory press conference. Why is that a philosophy you’ve embraced?

I said it in the press conference, and I’ve said it several times in the last week and a half. I can tell you that is a cornerstone of SPD. And that’s what being a police officer [is], right? That’s why I got in this. Every call, every contact, we’re the people that the community trusts to come out, give them a professional service, treat them with the utmost respect. Look to solve an issue, look to ask a question and partner with our community and also our most vulnerable, getting them in touch with the people that can help them. That’s what community policing is. It’s getting out there and solving a problem. … It starts and ends with the community and the police working together.

On a personal level, how do you plan on forging and strengthening relationships with the communities the department serves?

I think the city manager and the deputy city manager and City Commission, they thought about that before they even offered me the job. They decided to hire within, so I would hit the ground running. I know the community. I know Sarasota so well. I live in the city of Sarasota; I’ve lived here for 20-some years.

I think it’s going to be paramount that I’m visible, I’m accessible. I’m out there talking to the right folks at the right time and making sure that everybody knows that — I want them to know what I know: that everybody working in this police department is amazing. They’re the hardest workers, some of the most generous people I’ve ever met. And I want them to know that. I don’t want them to feel worried that, “Oh, I better not talk to that police officer because they’re busy.” Well, yeah. So is everybody, no matter what job you’re in. Everybody’s busy, I get it. But that’s our job.

The city manager has mentioned continuity as a major strength when discussing your appointment. How does your experience prepare you for this job?

I’ve been to almost every unit in the police department and supervised every division — patrol, criminal investigation, the support services division, and I started the professional standards division. … I think that experience that I bring to the table is going to be important. I can be part of the conversations of each one of those locations and understand some of the inner workings — whether it be the budget, whether it be staffing, whether it be, “Where are we going to deploy our resources to better fit the community?”

And again, in the command staff that I have, I think we’re going to be able to really hit the ground running with some of the best men and women this country’s ever seen, as far as law enforcement is concerned.

How do you plan to build and strengthen the internal culture at the police department?

I’ve grown up here in my 20s, my 30s, my 40s and now my 50s. I think it’s all about the relationships that you have forged throughout the years. Treat people with respect. Understand that being present is important. I’ve gone to shift briefings. I’m walking around this building, talking to police officers and civilian staff.

[Another] thing that I did was I set up one-on-one meetings with every person that works in this agency. We just started all that. We have a young department. I think we’ve hired in the last five, six years over 120 new employees, sworn and civilian staff here. So I need to sit down with each and every one of them and talk to them. And I think that’s important that they know me, and I know them.

What other initiatives are on your to-do list?

The body-worn cameras is a huge thing. It’s going to change the agency forever, and I think for the better. We’re going to able to push out videos that these officers have to encounter these contacts, good or bad. And I think that’s important.  It’s huge, between training and really educating the citizens of this community of what that entails. You can see that in the coming months for sure; we’re going to have that up and running this year.

The other thing that you’re going to see is in recruiting and hiring, that we’re trying to mirror the demographics of our citizens. I think that’s got to be the marching orders of every agency. I think everybody wants that for our agency. I think you’re going to see us continuing with our homeless outreach team — our homeless outreach is for our most vulnerable. I think it’s extremely important, and I am completely behind that, because we’ve seen incredible, incredible success based on that.

You’re going to see much more of a [highly] visible police agency. I want the police officers out there. When people see a police officer, I don’t want them to feel worried; I want them to feel safe. And that high visibility — on foot, on bikes, out of their cars with the windows down — I think is important. I want to keep this paradise that we live in — because it is paradise — exactly how it is today: a wonderful place to live and raise a family.