Mr. Hubert. The chief of police who was in office prior to Chief Curry was in that office when you became the city manager?
Mr. Crull. That’s correct.
Mr. Hubert. You kept him on?
Mr. Crull. That’s correct.
Mr. Hubert. Or perhaps it was thought that that was an appointment of him? But nevertheless, we have a clarification on that.
Now that sentence continues and reads as follows: That you never interfered with the operations of the police department, leaving it entirely in the chief’s hands, as he did with other city departments. I think you indicated you wished to address yourself to that thought?
Mr. Crull. I think perhaps that gives the wrong impression, that departments and department heads operate entirely on their own without any supervision at all.
Our department heads are experienced, and they do operate with a great deal of freedom, but not without control and not without consultation with the central office or manager’s office.
Mr. Hubert. Now turning to the second page in the last paragraph, eight lines from the bottom of the page, there is a reference to an individual in the report who quotes you as saying he was a yellow-sheet journalist. I think you wanted to comment on that?
Mr. Crull. I think that phrase should be stricken, because it is not my phrase. I don’t recall it, and it is not one I would use normally. I think someone has attempted to portray what I thought of the individual, has injected his phrase.