How Sioux Falls plans to find its next police chief

Sioux Falls is looking for a new police chief — and the public will have a chance to be part of the selection process.

Police Chief Matt Burns is retiring July 23 after 25 years with the department.

To find a replacement, Mayor Paul TenHaken has established a fairly unique process for finding a new city department head.

How it will work

The mayor has created a hiring panel, including representatives from partner organizations that work closely with the police department and community members who have ties in various ways to law enforcement.

The panel includes:

• Erica Beck, chief of staff, city of Sioux Falls.
• Bill O’Toole, human resources director, city of Sioux Falls.
• Michelle Boyd, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office.
• Superintendent Jane Stavem, Sioux Falls School District.
• David Jal, Community Ambassador Program.
• Jessie Schmidt, state director of the Better Business Bureau.
• Arthur McCray, CEO, ADVIE.

Burns will serve as an adviser to the mayor and hiring panel throughout the process.

The timeline

The hiring panel plans to identify the finalists by mid-June.

At that point, the community will be invited to meet and interact with the candidates. Details regarding the public engagement opportunity will be outlined at a later date.

“Ensuring our community is engaged in the selection of the next chief is important to my administration,” TenHaken said in a statement. “We are being very intentional about designing a meaningful search process to bring forward highly qualified candidates, including a diverse hiring panel and the opportunity for public engagement.”

The hire

The mayor ultimately will appoint the chief of police, and the Sioux Falls City Council will be asked to approve the hiring.