City of Lakewood announcement.
After conducting a national search, the city of Lakewood identified six individuals as finalists for the Lakewood Police Chief job.
The finalists come from across the United States, including Alabama, Illinois, South Carolina, Texas and Washington. They include:
- Matt Brown, Chief of Police, Port Orchard Police Department.
- Matthew Davis, First Deputy Director for the Illinois State Police.
- Heather Morris, former Deputy Chief, Miami Police Department.
- Stephenie Price, former Chief of Police, Bluffton, South Carolina.
- Patrick Smith, former Chief of Police, Birmingham, Alabama.
- John Unfred, Assistant Chief of Police, Lakewood Police Department.
Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaro announced his retirement earlier this year. Zaro’s last day is Feb. 17, 2023. He first served as interim chief from April to October 2015, when he was officially appointed chief.
The Lakewood Police Chief oversees one of the largest police departments in the state with 111 full-time employees. Currently there are 96 commissioned officers in the department.
The finalists will meet with stakeholders this week in a series of informational interviews. A public open house is planned for Thursday, Dec. 8 from 6-7:30 p.m. for Lakewood residents to meet the finalists and share their impressions of the candidates.
Following the interview process the city could announce its next chief before the end of 2022.
Find the full bios of each candidate on the city website.
