Names of the finalists for the Kansas City, Kansas, police chief position have been announced.
The finalists are Rich Austin, chief of police of Milton, Georgia; Vince E. Davenport, associate deputy director of the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Washington, D.C.; Karl A. Oakman, deputy chief, Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department; and Pamela Waldeck, deputy chief, Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
The candidates will appear during a special session of the Unified Government Commission at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 15, on UGTV and on YouTube. Commissioners will ask questions of the finalists.
The names of finalists were announced on a news release posted Thursday on the Kansas City, Kansas, website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/government/kckpd-chief-search/documents/20210415_media-advisory_kckpd-chief-assessment-center.pdf.
Ashley Hand, UG director of strategic communications, said the goal is for the county administrator to select the police chief by mid-May. The process started more than a year ago. There were 19 applicants for the position, she said.
The candidates are going through an intensive selection process, she said, including an assessment center. The process included several community engagement efforts, including listening sessions with community groups, as well as a community survey.
The community survey identified several important criteria for residents, including continuing to foster trust and transparency, building on diversity, community involvement, increased visibility, crime reduction and continued advancement of technology, Hand said.
She said the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department already had a pretty good track record of adopting best practices around police use of force, with standards in place to protect the public.
A blue-ribbon community committee is participating through the assessment center, with community members involved in the process and weighing in on how the candidates did through the process, she said. The assessment center process started April 14 for the candidates.
Tonight’s UG meeting is not expected to include an opportunity for the public to ask questions of the candidates.
According to UG information, Austin has served as police chief of the Milton department, in the Atlanta area, since 2017. Previously he served 25 years with the 2,000-member Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina Police Department.
Davenport oversees the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Law Enforcement Division, with programs and services. He previously was with the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Before that, he was with the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department 25 years, and was acting assistant police chief, director of police training and commander of the community policing unit.
Oakman has served as deputy chief of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department since 2017. He has been a member of that department for 29 years. He commands the patrol bureau including six patrol divisions, the KCI airport division, special operations, traffic, social services, crisis intervention and detention services.
Waldeck is deputy police chief of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, a position she was named to in 2019. She has served with the department since 1997. She is responsible for the patrol division and community support services division including community policing, narcotics, special operations, CIT and K-9. Waldeck is the incident commander for critical incidents and is the acting chief in the chief’s absence. She previously was assistant chief for two years and captain for one year.
Those who were invited to be part of the blue-ribbon committee and the assessment process include: Randy Callstrom, Wyandotte Behavioral Health Network; Joy Engel, Turner USD 202 District leader; Mark Dupree, Wyandotte County District Attorney; the Rev. Tony Carter, Salem Missionary Baptist Church; Daniel Silva, KCK Chamber of Commerce; Max Mendoza, Heartland 180; Martin Cervantes, KCK Public Schools student mentor and Leadership 2000 board member; Denise Tomasic, Tomasic Law; Melanie Bakarich, Piper Educational Foundation; Rachel Jefferson, Groundwork NRG; Dr. Evelyn Hill, Avenue of Life; Roslyn Brown, KCKCC Board of Trustees; Irene Caudillo, El Centro; Valeria Espadas, Safe and Welcoming Wyandotte Coalition; Carolyn Wyatt, Unified Government Board of Park Commission; and Sheriff Don Ash.