By Patrick Catezone
Finalists for the Chief of Police position at the Champaign Police Department have been chosen. City Manager, Deborah Ann David, chose three finalists: Angela Coonce, Bryce Johnson and Timothy T. Tyler.
Coonce currently serves as the Commander of the North Patrol Division (Major) for the City of St. Louis. She has spent 24-years in law enforcement.
Johnson works as the Chief of Police for the City of Idaho Falls, Idaho. He has spent 29-years in law enforcement.
Finally, Tyler serves as the Director/Chief of Police for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Law Enforcement in Springfield. He has 29-years in law enforcement.
David said that there is still a long process till she can narrow down the list to a couple of candidates.
“After we finish the in-person interview process the next step is really for me to gather all the input that I have received from panels and narrow it down to the top one or two candidates,” said David.
Once down to two candidates, David will further evaluate the remaining candidates.
“Those candidates will be put through a very extensive reference and background check process that will take several weeks,” said David. “Then at the end of that hopefully I have a single candidate and will form an employment agreement with them.”
With an increase in crime in the Champaign area in 2021, residents anxiously await for the right candidate. Champaign resident Maria Shaw says that she wants a Police Chief that will yield results.
“I have lived in this community for a number of years and this is my home. I’m a stakeholder here,” said Shaw. “I want a police chief that will get us results.”
Shaw says that it is a lack of trust in the community that keeps the Police department from accomplishing their goals.
“There’s so much distrust in this community when it comes to the police and our community,” said Shaw. “There’s so much good here, I want to see that bridge built and start doing better.”
There is no timetable for the decision to be made.
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