Coralville selects finalists for police chief

CORALVILLE — The city of Coralville has narrowed its national search for a new police chief to four Iowans.

Members of the public can meet the finalists and ask them questions at an informal Aug. 6 reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Coralville City Hall, 1512 Seventh St.

A hiring decision is expected to be made in late August to succeed Police Chief Shane Kron, who is retiring at the end of July after seven years as chief and 34 years with the department.

The finalists include two internal candidates — Lt. Kyle Nicholson and Lt. Deborah Summers — and two external candidates — Paul A. Haase, a captain in the Pella Police Department, and Benjamin J. Boeke, chief of the Oskaloosa Police Department.

Nicholson has been with the Coralville department since 2014 and was promoted to investigations/administrative lieutenant in 2023. He has a master’s degree in criminal justice administration from Columbia Southern University.

Summers has been with the department since 2005 and a lieutenant since 2013. She was a military police officer with the U.S. Army for five years and holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Upper Iowa University.

Haase has worked for the Pella Police Department since 2002 and has served as interim chief there before becoming a captain. Haase was in the Iowa National Guard as a military police officer for eight years. He holds a master’s degree in public safety from the University of Virginia.

Boeke has been Oskaloosa police chief since 2018. Before that, he was an investigations supervisor for Rockford, Ill., police for 21 years. He is an adjunct instructor of criminology at William Penn University and is a doctoral candidate in criminal justice at Liberty University.

The four finalists were chosen by City Administrator Kelly Hayworth and the civil service commission. The job pays in the range of $126,885 to $165,103 a year.

Cayler Consulting assisted in the monthlong search and reviewed the nine applications received. The Omaha-based consultants have led searches for police chiefs in other Iowa cities such as Council Bluffs and Waukee.