INDEPENDENT NEWS MEDIA

The candidates to become the next Tempe police chief have been narrowed to four and include the current interim head of the department and a former law enforcement veteran from Phoenix.

City Manager Andrew Ching said the four will be involved in additional interviews later this month and that “public input opportunities” will be announced soon.

The candidates are:

JOSIE MONTENEGRO

Montenegro, the interim chief, has worked for the department for 22 years in various roles, including as interim assistant chief of the investigative division.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree in organizational management from Northern Arizona University.

Montenegro is a graduate of the Los Angeles Police Department West Point Leadership Academy, Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the East Valley Hispanic Leadership Institute.

TOM VAN DORN

Van Dorn retired in 2019 as chief of the Phoenix Police Department after 24 years with the department. He has served in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office as an Assistant County Attorney – Director of Investigations.

Van Dorn holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix and a juris doctorate from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

He is a graduate of the Arizona State University Leadership Institute for Chief and Command Executives and the Arizona POST and Valley Leadership programs.

KENNETH MCCOY

McCoy retired in 2022 as chief of the Anchorage Police Department after 27 years. He is a US Army veteran and served 10 years in the Alaska Army National Guard. He was honorably discharged as a captain in 2000.

McCoy holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a certificate in Leading Diversity from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute.

TOM WORTHFUL

Worthy serves as the Chief of Police for the City of The Dalles in Oregon. He previously served 29 years in the Oregon State Police, reaching the rank of major.

Worthy holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Washington State University and a master’s degree in law enforcement and public safety management from the University of San Diego.

He is a graduate of the Oregon Executive Development Institute, the Law Enforcement Executive Leadership Institute and the FBI National Academy.

The search for a new chief began in February after former Chief Jeff Glover’s appointment by Gov. Katie Hobbs to serve as director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

According to the Tempe City Charter, the city manager has the ultimate hiring authority for city employees, including hiring and managing the role of police chief.

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