Richmond City Manager Bill Lindsay has selected Fargo North Dakota Police Chief Chris Magnus as Richmond’s next chief of police. See the story below carried on KPIX. To get a flavor of Chief Magnus, check out his weekly Q and A on line in Fargo at http://www.in-forum.com/specials/askapro/?month=6.

A story in today’s WCT noted that Fargo is the 11^th safest city in the U.S., while Richmond is the 11^th most dangerous, which makes for an interesting contrast. Why would Magnus want to come to Richmond? Take a look at the weather forecast. Tomorrow’s high in Fargo will be 18 degrees – the low 0 degrees.

Nov 29, 2005 6:51 am US/Pacific

Richmond Announces New Police Chief

 (Bay City News) RICHMOND When Christopher J. Magnus takes over the Richmond Police Department's top job in just under two months, he will have to adjust to milder weather and more dangerous streets.

Magnus, who is set to take the reigns in Richmond on Jan. 23, has served for the past six years as police chief of Fargo, N.D. Before that, he was a captain in the Lansing Police Department in Michigan.

City Manager Bill Lindsay announced Magnus' appointment to the job in a news release Monday.

"I am impressed by his management skills, approach to community policing and passion for his work," Lindsay said in a prepared statement. "He has the energy and vision to provide strong leadership to address Richmond's issues."

Richmond has been in the spotlight in the past few weeks for a rash of deadly shootings, some in broad daylight, that have pushed the city's 2005 murder total past last year's total of 34 killings.

A survey released last week by the Kansas-based research group Morgan Quitno Press named Richmond as California's most dangerous city.

Magnus received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Michigan State University in East Lansing in 1986. He went on to earn a master's degree in labor relations from the same university four years later.

"Working together with the city's residents and Richmond Police Department, I am confident that we can make positive changes and keep Richmond moving in the right direction," Magnus said in a statement.

Magnus will replace Terry Hudson, who has served as interim police chief since January of this year.

(Bay City News)

	Posted on Mon, Nov. 28, 2005
	Richmond hires new police chief By Karl Fischer CONTRA COSTA TIMES RICHMOND - City Manager Bill Lindsay this afternoon hired the police chief of Fargo, N.D., to head law enforcement in a city recently recognized as the most violent in California. Chris Magnus, who led the Fargo Police Department for six years, accepted the job about 3 p.m., City of Richmond sources said. He was one of six finalists for the job introduced to the public in October. Lindsay announced the hiring through a short press release that extolled Magnus' management skills and interest in community-policing principles. Neither Magnus nor Lindsay was immediately available for comment. "Working together with the city's residents and Richmond Police Department, I am confident that we can make positive changes and keep Richmond moving in the right direction," Magnus said in a press release written by Lindsay. "I'm excited about the possibilities that lie ahead." Richmond's 36th homicide victim died on Saturday. This year's total already eclipses that of last year. Reference publisher Morgan Quitno Press last week ranked the city as California's most dangerous, and 11th most dangerous in the nation, according to its 12th annual "Safest and Most Dangerous Cities." Fargo was ranked the 12th safest city in the nation in the same survey. Interim Chief Terry Hudson has headed the Richmond Police Department since January, but must stop working by the end of the year because of state restrictions on how long retired employees may perform temporary work. Hudson retired as a police captain in 2004. Reach Karl Fischer at 510-262-2728 or kfischer@cctimes.com