116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Meet finalists for Cedar Rapids police chief this week
Four finalists participating in meet-and-greet Wednesday night
CEDAR RAPIDS — The public is invited to meet four finalists for Cedar Rapids police chief as the city approaches an end to the nearly yearlong search.
The four candidates — Jennifer Birkhofer, Jeff Coday, Tom Whitten and David Dostal — were selected by the Cedar Rapids Civil Service Commission last week and all four were approved by City Manager Jeff Pomeranz to move on to in-person interviews.
Each of the candidates will be interviewed Wednesday by five panels of city and community leaders. A public meet-and-greet with the candidates will be held that evening from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Cedar Rapids DoubleTree by Hilton Convention Center, 350 First Ave. NE. There will be no formal presentations at this event.
Following this week’s interviews and meet and greet, Pomeranz will identify two final candidates and he may visit the candidates’ current departments and communities. The final step will be Pomeranz’s appointment of a chief, with the advice and consent of the mayor and council.
Jennifer Birkhofer
Current position: Lieutenant at Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Omaha, Nebraska
Department size: 147 sworn officers
Department budget: $22.3 million
Previous jobs: Pottawattamie County, Iowa Corrections Officer
Education: Bacherlor’s in psychology and Master’s in public administration; graduate of the FBI National Academy
Jeff Coday
Current position: Captain at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in Nevada
Department size: 3,401 commissioned positions
Department budget: $784.8 million
Previous jobs: Police officer for the Springfield, Missouri Police Department
Education: Bachelor’s in biology and Master’s in crisis and emergency management; graduate of Northwestern University School of Police staff and Command and the FBI National Academy
Tom Whitten
Current position: Chief Deputy for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Texas
Department size: More than 1,000
Department budget: $120 million
Previous jobs: Police chief in Harlingen, Texas; police chief in Carlsbad, New Mexico, police chief in Dewitt, Iowa; several positions, including assistant chief of police, in the El Paso, Texas police department; sergeant in the U.S. Air Force
Education: Bachelor’s in criminal justice administration; Master’s degrees in criminal justice administration and public administration; graduate of the FBI National Academy
David Dostal
Current position: Captain in the Administrative Operations Division of the Cedar Rapids Police Department
Department size: 270 full-time equivalents
Department budget: $48.2 million
Previous jobs: Multiple positions within the Cedar Rapids Police Department
Education: Bachelor’s in sociology
Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com
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