Police chief candidates to be presented Monday night

Four finalists to head the Springfield Police Department will get a chance to meet the public Monday night at Mediacom Ice Park.

The event begins at 5:45 p.m. with a public meet-and-greet session in the ice park's upper lobby, following a 5:15 media session. The event is part of a two-day schedule of in-person interviews and meetings with the candidates, who hail from all parts of the country.

The four finalists, who are vying for the job that opened with former Chief Lynn Rowe retired in January, are:

• Robert Dunlap, who retired in 2008 after 22 years as assistant chief of the Detroit Police Department. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, the FBI National Academy and the Senior Management Institute for Police. He has a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University and a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University;  

• Maj. Ron Hartman, who has served as interim police chief in Springfield since Rowe's retirement. He also is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, and he has served in the city's Uniform Operations, Criminal Investigations and Support divisions;

• Gary L. Maas, director of intergovernmental relations and legislative liaison for the Colorado Department of Corrections. He has served as police chief in Sioux City, Iowa and Littleton, Colo., and he holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Colorado-Denver and a bachelor's degree in law enforcement and criminology from Metropolitan State College of Denver. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy; and

• Maj. Paul F. Williams, who has worked for more than 28 years with the Tulsa Police Department in patrol, investigative and administrative duties. He has a master's degree in criminal justice administration from Northeastern (Okla.) State University and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Northern Michigan University. He is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police and the FBI National Academy.

The four candidates were selected from a slate of 64 applicants by a search committee led by Assistant City Manager Collin Quigley, according to a city news release. An announcement of the final selection is expected next month.[[In-content Ad]]