Renewed search for permanent Phoenix Police chief narrowed to 3 finalists
Jun 11, 2025, 1:06 PM | Updated: 1:10 pm
PHOENIX – The renewed search for the first permanent Phoenix Police chief in over two years is down to three finalists, the city announced Wednesday.
Malik Aziz, Matthew Giordano and Mirtha V. Ramos reached the final stage of the second search after semifinalists were interviewed on June 3.
City officials are expected to announce the next chief in July.
Who are the Phoenix Police chief finalists?
Giordano is the only finalist with local experience. He currently serves as executive director of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. He previously spent more than 20 years with the Phoenix Police Department and retired from the force as a commander.
Aziz has been chief of the Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland for the last four years. Most of his 35 years in law enforcement were spent with the Dallas Police Department.
Ramos most recently worked as chief of the DeKalb County Police Department in Georgia, a job she held for five years before she stepped down earlier this year. Ramos previously spent 22 years with the Miami-Dade Police Department, where she eventually attained the rank of division chief.
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The finalists will answer questions submitted by the public during a forum next week. The event will air on PHXTV and be streamed live on the Phoenix YouTube channel at 5 p.m. Monday.
What happened during initial Phoenix Police chief search?
The city reached this point once before but restarted the recruitment process after one of the four finalists, interim Chief Michael Sullivan, withdrew his name from consideration and stepped down in April.
Sullivan has since been hired as chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.
The Phoenix Police Department hasn’t had a permanent chief since Jeri Williams retired in 2022. Sullivan was hired on an interim basis to lead the department through a federal civil rights investigation.
The original recruitment process began in December 2024. The four previous finalists — Sullivan, Phoenix Assistant Chief Ed DeCastro, Mesa Assistant Chief Ed Wessing and Oakland (California) Deputy Chief Casey Johnson — participated in a public forum in March, less than three weeks before the city reopened its search.
