Finalists Named for West Des Moines Police Chief

Four finalists for West Des Moines police chief were announced this morning during a meeting of the city’s Civil Service Commission at .

Selected:

• Shaun Ladue, former police chief of Owatonna, MN
• J.C. Paez, commander of Hoffman Estates Police Department in Illinois
• Alfonso Pizzano, 25 years of experience with the New York City Police Department
• Marti Reilly, 31 years experience, captain with the Sioux City Police Department

The four candidates will interview on Friday, July 20, according to a city news release. Interviews will be conducted by four interview panels comprised of citizen/community leaders, select police department employees, senior staff members and select mayor/council members.

A public reception will be held July 20 in the West Des Moines City Hall Council Chambers from 8 to 9:30 a.m., giving an opportunity for the public to meet the finalists. The finalists will give a brief introduction of themselves beginning at 8:15 a.m.

Capt. Larry Richards, a retired patrol commander, has been serving as interim chief since Jack O’Donnell retired in February.

Bios of Candidates

Shaun LaDue has 20 years of law enforcement experience, including six years as police chief of Owatonna, MN. Owatonna has a population of 24,725 and a Police Department with 50 employees. Prior to his position in Owatonna, LaDue was a commander with the Bloomington Police Department in Minnesota with a population of 86,000 and a department of about 140 employees.

LaDue is currently the director of compliance investigations for the Government Programs Section of UnitedHealthcare in Minnesota. He has a master's degree in public administration from Minnesota State University - Mankato and is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police and the Southern Police Institute - Administrative Officer's Course.

J.C. Paez has 27 years of public service beginning as a United States Marine Corps military police officer. Paez currently is a commander with Hoffman Estates Police Department in Illinois. The Village of Hoffman Estates has a population of 52,500 residents.

He has a master of science degree in management from National-Louis University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command.

Alfonso Pizzano has 25 years of law enforcement experience with the New York City Police Department. Pizzano currently serves as a captain and provides oversight to 168 officers covering a population of 900,000.

He has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration and planning graduating cum laude with John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Marti Reilly has 31 years of law enforcement experience, serving the last two years as captain for the City of Sioux City, Iowa. Sioux City has a population of 82,644 and is a Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies-certified police department.

Reilly has a master's degree in leadership from Bellevue University in Nebraska and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute-Administrative Officer's Course.