Six veteran cops vie for police chief
Published 8:00 am Saturday, November 17, 2001
The Oak Harbor community is invited to meet the six men from around the nation who are vying for the job of keeping the community safe from hoodlums, rapscallions, ruffians and worse.
The top six police chief finalists are coming to the city next week to participate in an assessment center, which is a rigorous interview process involving simulations.
Monday, the public is welcome to meet the candidates at a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the city public works facility at 1400 NW Sixteenth Avenue.
Oak Harbor Police Cpt. Rick Wallace has been the interim police chief since Mayor Patty Cohen decided not to extend former chief Tony Barge’s contract, which expired this fall. Wallace said he didn’t intend to apply for the top job in the 44-member department.
The city advertised nationwide for the position since July. The city received application packets from 48 candidates. Based on their education, experience and training, they were narrowed down to six candidates. The six finalists come from such far-off places as Dodge City, Kansas, and El Reno, Okla.
Here’s a look at the candidates:
STEPHEN ALMON is currently the police chief in the city of El Reno, Okla., population 17,000. The department consists of 43 personnel. Prior to that, Almon was the police chief of the little city of Guthrie, population 12,500. He spent 20 years on the police force in Wichita, Kansas, in a variety of positions — including patrol officer, homicide detective, lieutenant in narcotics and as a member of the helicopter section. He has a master’s degree in management and a bachelor’s degree in management of human resources. He graduated from the FBI National Academy.
JOHN BALL has 24 years of experience in law enforcement. He is currently a lieutenant of training and professional standards in the Dodge City Police Department. Dodge City, Kansas, has a population of 27,000. Before that, he was a detective bureau commander and a patrol lieutenant. He graduated from Central Missouri State University in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration. He was a a member of the army military police corps at Fort Myer, Virg., for three years, then retired to go to work for the University of Missouri Police Department. He is currently the president of an agency serving abuse victims in Kansas.
ROBERT DEU PREE has been the chief of police for Astoria, Ore. , population 10,000, since 1993. Before that, he was chief in Springfield, Ore. — population 50,000 — for nine years and served in all ranks in the Arvada, Colo. — population 102,000 — police department for 14 years. He has a master’s degree in criminal justice and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Colorado. He also is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Police Law Specialists School. He teaches management, supervision and ethics courses for the Oregon Police Department and is involved in many community organizations. He was a commissioned officer in Vietnam.
DONALD MEYER was the chief of police in Liberal, Kansas — population 20,000 — for the last three years. Before that, he retired as a lieutenant at the Wichita Police Department after serving for 22 years. Wichita, Kansas, has a population of 326,000. He has served in all areas of police work. He has a bachelor’s degree in administrative justice from Wichita State University. He is a member of several professional organizations.
ROBERT “SULLY” SULLENBERGER has been in law enforcement for 21 years and is currently a commander with the Boulder Police Department in Boulder, Colo., population 95,000. He has worked in positions throughout the department and is currently the field training supervisor and program coordinator. He was previously the SWAT assistant commander and bomb unit commander. He was part of a security force for Pope John Paul II and was named “officer of the year” in 1986. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from New Mexico State University and is a member of many professional organizations.
VERN THOMPSON is a lifelong resident of Washington state and is currently the captain and acting chief of police at the Kelso Police Department. Kelso has a population of 11,860. Working in the department since 1982, he has been a detective, patrol sergeant and lieutenant. He has a bachelor’s degree in social science from Washington State University and an associate’s degree in administration of justice from Lower Columbia Community College. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy, the Northwest Law Enforcement Executive Command College and the Rocky Mountain Police Institute.
