Five finalists named for Apple Valley police chief position
Retired police Chief Scott Johnson
Five finalists have been named for the police chief position in Apple Valley, and the City Council’s appointment of a new chief is expected later this summer.
Apple Valley officials began the process to fill the position following the departure of Chief Scott Johnson, who retired in December of last year.
Jon Rechtzigel, a captain with Apple Valley police at the time of Johnson’s retirement, was appointed acting chief in December as the council began soliciting applications for a permanent replacement.
Rechtzigel is among the five finalists.
The city received 39 applications for the police chief position, and the finalists were selected following a review process that progressively narrowed the list of candidates, according to City Administrator Tom Lawell.
Along with Rechtzigel, the finalists are:
• William Blair Anderson, chief deputy with the Carver County Sheriff’s Office;
• Shaun LaDue, former Owatonna police chief who’s now director of government programs compliance investigations at United Healthcare;
• Jeffrey McCormick, Cannon Falls police chief; and
• Eric Werner, Burnsville police captain.
Interviews of the five finalists are scheduled for mid-July. Appointment of the new police chief is expected by late July or early August.
Johnson, Apple Valley’s police chief since 2001, left the department on good terms, and was presented with the key to the city by Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland on the eve of his final day in office.
“The time is right,” Johnson said in December of his decision to retire. “The department is in good shape, and I’m 56 years old.”
