WAUWATOSA/RACINE — The cities of Wauwatosa and Racine are both progressing in their search for new chiefs of police.
Earlier this month, Wauwatosa Chief Barry Weber announced his retirement this June, and last year Racine Police Chief Art Howell announced his retirement, to occur when a new police chief has been chosen or through March 31, whichever is sooner.
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Wauwatosa's process begins by seeking public input via survey, open through March 12; advertise for the position; screen resumes and eventually the Police and Fire Commissioners will review the results of the screen.
Members of the public will have the chance to provide additional feedback about the top candidates. The finalists will participate in a public forum in which they will be asked questions, and the PFC will conduct their own interviews. Only then will a hiring decision be made, the city said in a statement Friday.
In Racine, the city's Police and Fire Commission extended four candidates the chance to interview with PFC members, on March 6. The four finalists were selected from a pool of 15 applicants.
The process will consist of multiple rounds of interviews with the PFC and with city and community leaders.
According to the city, the four finalists for the Racine job are:
- Lynn “Al” Fear has 25 years of law enforcement experience, and has spent the majority of career with the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His last position was a Commander in the Patrol Division. He holds a Masters in Mental Health/Psychology and is a Certified Mediator/Arbitrator.
- Todd Hansen is the Police Chief of Maple Heights, Ohio, where he started as a Patrol Officer in 1998. He previously served in the U.S. Army as a Sergeant, Airborne Rangers. Mr. Hansen holds a Juris Doctor from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
- Alexander Ramirez started with the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Police Department in 1991as a police officer. His last position was as an Inspector of Police. Mr. Ramirez holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Service with a specialization in Criminal Justice Administration.
- Maurice Robinson is currently the District One Commander at the Cincinnati, Ohio Police Department and has been with the department since 2002. He holds an M.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati.
Milwaukee is also searching for a new police chief. That progress hit a roadblock late last year, however, when the Fire and Police Commission became deadlocked in the vote between the top two candidates for the position.
