City Manager Tom Hadden has selected Chris Scott from a civil service list of four finalists to serve as the City’s new Police Chief. Scott will begin his new position on Monday, December 4, 2017, and he will be paid an annual salary of $140,000. An open house will be held for the community at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall before the City Council meeting on Monday, October 30.
Scott has 19 years of law enforcement experience and currently serves as a Police Lieutenant in the Vice and Narcotics Unit for the City of Des Moines, Iowa. He started his law enforcement career as a Police Officer in Indianola, Iowa. He was then hired as a Senior Patrol Officer for the City of Des Moines where he held the rank of Sergeant in the areas of Records, Patrol, Executive Officer to the Assistant Chief of the Operations Division, and Public Information Officer. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant serving as Patrol Commander and Executive Officer to the Chief of Police before serving in his most recent position.
Scott has a bachelor’s from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s in Public Administration from Drake University. He also has attended the FBI National Academy.
Hadden said he was pleased with the quality of the applicants for this position. “We had an excellent group of individuals on our list of finalists, and I want to thank all the people who participated in the selection and recruitment process,” he said. “I’m confident Lieutenant Scott has the enthusiasm, knowledge and management skills we need in our Police Chief.”
Hadden also praised Interim Chief Jim Barrett for his leadership during the transition. “Jim’s personal skills and his relationships with others in the department allowed us to concentrate on the search for a new Chief while knowing the department was in good hands.”
The West Des Moines Police Chief reports to the City Manager and leads a department of 69 sworn personnel and 12 civilians. The Department has an annual budget of $9.5 million, and in July 2017, received its eighth reaccreditation award from CALEA, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. CALEA sets the standard for professional excellence and policies and procedures that adhere to best practices in law enforcement.
West Des Moines’ previous Police Chief, Shaun LaDue, resigned from the department in November 2016.