Meet West Des Moines' New Top Cop Friday

West Des Moines residents will have a chance Friday to meet – and question – four finalists under consideration to become the city’s first new police chief in nearly 14 years.

A meet-and-greet reception will be held from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at , 4200 Mills Civic Parkway. The four finalists will briefly introduce themselves, and then members of the public will have an opportunity to interview them one on one.

Former Chief Jack O’Donnell retired Feb. 1, the 43rd anniversary of the day he started his law enforcement career. He was appointed in November 1998.

Capt. Larry Richards, a retired patrol commander, has been serving as interim chief.

What's the most important quality you think the next West Des Moines police chief should possess? What do you think the new chief's priorities should be? Tell us below in comments.

The finalists, selected from an initial pool of 27, are:

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.

Following the reception, the four candidates will meet with four different interview panels that include community leaders and residents, police department employees, department heads and command staff, and a panel made up of Mayor Steve Gaer, City Manager Greg Sparks and Human Resources Director  Jane Pauba-Dodge.