City Council unanimously approves Lt. Dianne Burns

City Council unanimously approves Lt. Dianne Burns By AARON AUPPERLEE Staff Writer BARSTOW - After weeks of waiting, delays, closed session meetings and follow-up interviews, Barstow finally has a new chief of police. The City Council unanimously voted to appoint Lt. Dianne Burns as Barstow's new chief during a closed session on Monday afternoon. The Council also interviewed during a closed session the last of three top candidates selected by an independent panel. Burns served 20 years with the Los Angeles Police Department and is currently a member of a gang task force in the Los Angeles area. She holds a bachelor's degree and a law degree, according to city documents. According to the contract the Council approved, Burns will start as chief on June 18 and make $135,000 a year. Former police chief Caleb "Lee" Gibson made $131,000 a year when he left at the end of April and was due for a 10 percent raise in July, said John Rader, a spokesman for the city. When she starts, Burns will be California's 14th female police chief, said Leslie McGill, the executive director of the California Police Chief Association. The state's 15th, Lisa Solomon Chitty, will take over at the Paso Robles Police Department in late June. With women at the head of 4.4 percent of the 338 municipal police departments, California ranks higher than the national average, estimated to sit at less than one percent. City Manager Hector Rodriguez brought Burns to the Council on May 21 for a vote. The Council tabled it until a special May 24 meeting, at which the Council tabled the discussion again. Members of the Council requested to interview the top three candidates selected by an independent law enforcement panel. Some members expressed concerned the city moved too quickly in making its decision and some wanted more participation in the process. One Council member, Joe Gomez, consistently expressed support for Rodriguez's decision during the delays.