Dubuque Police Chief Search Narrowed to Four Finalists
Feb. 4, 2022 -- For Immediate Release
The City of Dubuque has narrowed the field of candidates for its vacant chief of police position to four finalists and will conduct candidate interviews over the next several weeks. The position became vacant in September 2021 following the retirement of Mark Dalsing.
An executive search firm has assisted a core search team of City staff with the process that included a national search and input from current police department staff and community stakeholders.
In addition to being interviewed by the core team, the four finalists will meet with a panel of representatives from the City’s leadership team, a police staff panel with diverse representation from the police department, and a community members panel representing partner organizations, neighborhood associations, and the Dubuque Community-Police Relations Committee.
The four finalists, in alphabetical order, are:
Ronald Davis
Davis, of Lockport, Ill., has over 30 years of law enforcement experience in three municipal police agencies in the Chicago area. He is currently police captain with the METRA Police Department and his previous experience includes serving on the police departments for the City of Burbank and City of Park Ridge. He holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice from Chicago State University. Davis is a Certified Police Chief through the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and a Certified Police Officer by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
Michael Drake
Drake, of Gardiner, NY, has 25 years of service in state law enforcement. Drake is currently a major with the New York State Police. He previously worked as a police officer for the Village of Monticello, NY, and a firefighter/emergency medical technician for Highland, NY. He holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Marist College. Drake also has an advanced diploma in law enforcement from the FBI National Academy.
Jeremy Jensen
Jensen, of Dubuque, has over 30 years of law enforcement experience. He has been a member of the Dubuque Police Department since 1994 and had been serving as assistant chief until he was named interim chief of police in September 2021. Previously, he held law enforcement positions with Benton County, Vinton, and Sumner, Iowa. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in communication from the University of Dubuque. Jensen is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Daniel Hostens
Hostens, of Galesburg, Ill., has 30 years of law enforcement experience. He is currently the deputy chief of police for the City of Galesburg where he has been a member of the police department since 1996. Hostens’ previous experience includes serving as a military police officer with the US Army and a mutual aid response team trainer for the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System. He holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and general studies from Western Illinois University and completed Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.
Section 400.13 of the Iowa State Code governs the appointments of chief of police and chief of fire departments in Iowa. This requires the positions to be filled through Iowa’s civil service examination process and requires that a chief of police must have a minimum of five years’ experience in a public law enforcement agency, or three years’ experience in a public law enforcement agency and two years of comparable experience or educational training. In cities under a council-manager form of government, such as Dubuque, the city manager shall make the appointments with the approval of the city council.
Following the completion of interviews, City Manager Mike Van Milligen will make a recommendation to fill the position which must be approved by the city council at a city council meeting.
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