Jerry Moore, Salem police chief (center) watchers proceedings at the March for Floyd on Saturday, June 6, at the Capitol.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The city of Salem has selected two final candidates in its search to replace retiring Police Chief Jerry Moore, it announced Friday.
Both candidates will be in Salem on Friday, Oct. 30, for a virtual community forum. Residents can ask questions through an online form ahead of the event but must submit questions by Oct. 29. The questions will be asked by a moderator and the video will be streamed on the city’s YouTube channel.
One candidate comes from Texas and the other from California.
According to the city, Malik Aziz, who holds the rank of major, has worked at the Dallas Police Department since 1992 and worked in patrol, special operations, SWAT, traffic and investigations. He currently leads the night command in Dallas.
The city said that Malik’s specialties lie in nonprofit leadership, budgeting, policy analysis and event planning.
Malik got his bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of Texas and his master’s in business administration from the University of Dallas. He speaks Arabic.
In 2017, Malik was named a finalist for the job of Dallas police chief, but didn’t get the job.
The other finalist is Trevor Womack, deputy chief of the Stockton Police Department, where he is responsible for two-thirds of the department’s staff and budget. He joined the department in 1992 and was appointed to deputy chief in 2012, according to the Stockton city website.
Womack is responsible for more than 30 specialty programs such as the crisis intervention team, law enforcement assisted diversion program and SWAT.
Last year, Womack was a candidate for Fresno police chief, but didn’t get the job.
The release said Womack has experience recruiting, training, and hiring. Womack earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from California State University Stanislaus.
Moore announced his retirement in November after leading the Salem Police Department for 14 years. He stayed on for a contract that is set to expire at the end of the year.
Have a tip? Contact reporter Saphara Harrell at 503-549-6250, [email protected] or @daisysaphara.
