During his years as a justice major at Arizona State University, newly hired Cottonwood Police Department Chief Steve Gesell worked part-time catching shoplifters at Sears Roebuck — a perfect preparation, he noted, for becoming a police officer.
Gesell took over the Cottonwood Police Department in the last week of January, replacing retiring Chief Jody Fanning. Bank of America in Cottonwood was burglarized for $350,000 on Gesell’s fourth day on the job, giving his department a major case to investigate in just his first week.
For 23 years, Gesell worked in the Phoenix area in a variety of roles. He saw the exponential growth of the area while employed with the Scottsdale Police Department, taking both mundane and “very unorthodox” assignments. From patrolman, to bicycle cop, to undercover agent and DEA agent, he grew to see policing from a holistic perspective.
“It’s an odd, odd business — and certainly very challenging,” Gesell said, adding that there are elements of the career that few imagine: As special investigations section commander he worked undercover out of a covert business front. For four of the five years, he had four cell phones on call 24-7.
“Does that mess with your mind? Sure …. It was a weird, weird job.”
After two decades in the valley, Gesell had a thought that would have far-reaching implications: “What if I went back to be the police chief of my hometown?”
He prevailed, landing the position of police chief of San Luis Obispo, Calif. For three-and-a-half years he looked over the community, landing under the public’s scrutiny.
“I was very overexposed in the media,” Gesell said, listing the ways in which working in his hometown defied his expectations. He grew to love the community, but San Luis Obispo never felt like the home he had imagined returning to.
In May, the city and Gesell parted ways. In a press release, San Luis Obispo City Manager Katie Lichtig stated, “to reach peak performance, the city manager and police chief need to be in complete alignment,” but that the two had experienced “fundamental differences about the appropriate roles and responsibilities of the police chief that interfered with their ability to effectively communicate and serve the city at the highest level.”
Regardless of any friction, Gesell said that he made the right choices for the right reasons, serving his hometown well.
Technically, he could have retired, but the call of police work was simply too strong. “I’m still in the game, still loving the job …. I still have that sense of purpose.”
Nonetheless, he was out of a job. Gesell considered a few options, primary among them teaching. Each goal had one thing in common, however: He was “hellbent on getting back to Arizona.” When the position opened up in Cottonwood, he and the city came to an agreement. Though there is still an office-worth of items to unpack, the community has welcomed him with open arms.
“I get here and received so much support,” Gesell said. “This place feels like home. It did instantly …. Cottonwood is a reminder that the world is still right side up.”
According to the chief, there are going to be changes, mostly in the way of communication. Calling policing a widely misunderstood process, Gesell committed himself to being as transparent as possible and maximizing community participation, building relationships through education and outreach. To that end, Gesell intends to form a Police Chief’s Citizen Advisory Council by the end of his first year.
Remaining honest and forthright — especially when things do not go as planned — is key to keeping the public’s trust, Gesell said.
“We make a mistake, you’re going to see me apologize.”
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