Three Internal Candidates Among Port Police Chief Final Picks

Three final candidates for the chief position are currently department employees, and the fourth is a city resident.

Capt. Mike Keller, Lt. Kevin Hingiss and Lt. Michael Davel are the three internal candidates, while Lt. Jonathan Schmitz of the Brown Deer Police Department and a Port resident is the fourth candidate.

The search for a new candidate has been in full swing since Police Chief Richard Thomas . Originally, .

The Police and Fire Commission had debated early in the application process whether to open up the listing for external candidates, or limit it to only department candidates. In the end, it for the position. The fact that the candidate pool was narrowed to mostly internal candidates is something Commission Chair Rick Nelson said he's happy about.

"I'm delighted that it’s that way, and I think a lot of that has to do with Chief Thomas," Nelson said. "He’s done a great job of giving these guys the education they need to be able to apply for a job like this, and that means going through the management schools and being prepared to be leaders."

Thomas said having the three internal candidates really speaks to the department's educational emphasis.

"One of the things I was asked to do (when I can here six years ago) is put together a succession plan," he said. "So part of my position has been to develop a real progressive development program, and I think we’ve achieved that."

But, Thomas said, it goes beyond the educational opportunities provided these candidates through their work the department — they each have their individual strengths.

"I’m very proud of all three of them," Thomas said.

The four candidates will undergo an assessment on Oct. 27 before their final interviews are scheduled, Nelson said. The final interview date is scheduled to be Nov. 10, although that's not yet set in stone.