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City of Steamboat announces six police chief finalists

Matt Stensland

If you go:

What: Reception for Steamboat Springs police chief finalists

When: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 7

Where: Steamboat Springs Community Center, 1605 Lincoln Ave.

— Interim Steamboat Springs Police Chief Jerry DeLong is among the six police chief finalists announced Tuesday by the city.

Acting City Manager Anne Small said 96 people applied for the chief job. The finalists include two women.

The community will be able to meet the candidates during a reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Steamboat Springs Community Center.



The finalists are Brian Brown, Cory Christensen, DeLong, Kimberly Ferber, Daric Harvey and Patty Higgins.

The city hired KRW Associates in Lakewood to help with the police chief search. Small said KRW studied the resumes, researched the candidates and then selected the top 20. KRW then conducted phone interviews and classified 12 as top tier candidates. The top six were then chosen along with three alternates.



Small said the Steamboat location attracted a big pool of candidates.

“A lot of the candidates that we selected are being really picky about where they are going,” Small said. “They don’t just want to be a police chief. They want to be a police chief in a certain area.”

Besides DeLong, no one else currently working at the Steamboat Springs Police Department applied for the job, Small said.

Small said the selection process will include a meeting with members of the police department, the community reception and interviews with a community panel, the city’s management team and the city manager.

The five members of the community panel are Advocates Building Peaceful Communities Executive Director Diane Moore, Family Development Center Executive Director Tami Havener and business leaders Charlie MacArthur, Bob Dapper and Glen Traylor.

The police department has been working through a staff shortage. Small said two new patrol officers begin work next week, and two more will start the following week.

Small said the next police chief will help fill sergeant vacancies and hire a second captain.

About the finalists

• Brian Browne is currently the deputy chief of police for the city of Largo, Florida. He has 21 years of law enforcement experience and has a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of South Florida.

• Cory Christensen is currently the assistant chief of police for the city of Fort Collins. He has 26 years of law enforcement experience and has a degree in mass communication from the University of Denver. He also has a bachelor’s degree in information technology and a master’s degree in leadership and organizational studies from Colorado State University. During his career, Christensen completed a three-year special assignment with the community policing project in downtown Fort Collins.

• Jerry DeLong has 30 years of experience and is the patrol commander for the city of Craig. His temporary assignment is as Steamboat’s interim police chief. DeLong has an associates degree in criminal justice from Colorado Northwestern Community College.

• Kimberly Ferber also comes from Colorado, where she is currently working as the investigations/support services division chief at the Littleton Police Department. She has 26 years of experience and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from Columbia College in Missouri. As a division chief, Ferber managed her department’s accreditation process leading to national accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

• Daric Harvey has 19 years of experience and is the administrative commander at the Vail Police Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from Columbia College in Missouri and is working on a master’s degree in criminal justice from Florida State University.

• Patty Higgins, with 32 years of experience, is the deputy chief in the executive services bureau for the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from William Woods College in Missouri and holds a master’s degree in public affairs from Park University in Missouri.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland


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