(Le Mars) — The search for a new Le Mars Police Chief has been narrowed to five finalists, two of the finalists are officers of the Le Mars Police Department.
The city received a total of 40 applications from 20 different states for the position of police chief. Stuart Dekkenga has announced he plans to retire from the Le Mars Police Department on June 30th. Le Mars mayor Dick Kirchoff explains the process used to narrow the field.
The five finalist include: Robert Bendlin of the Le Mars Police Department, Shane Brevik with the Spirit Lake Police Department, Ray Eickholt with the Storm Lake Police Department, Deric Gress is with the Ypilanti, Michigan, Police
Department, and the fifth finalist is Kevin Vande Vegte with the Le Mars Police Department. Mayor Kirchoff talks about the qualifications of the candidates.
Le Mars chose to utilize the services of a consultant for the search for a new police chief. Kirchoff explains how the Cayler Consulting of Carroll, Iowa, helped with the police chief selection process.
All candidates will attend a public reception scheduled for July 6th at 6:30 p.m. at the Le Mars city council chambers. The public is invited to attend to meet with the police chief candidates. Candidates will have an opportunity to interact with members of the public and answer any questions they might have.
