Interviews and Public Reception Scheduled for Aug. 4
DENTON, TX, Aug. 2, 2022 – City Manager Sara Hensley announces the following five finalists for the position of Police Chief:
Darren Steele, Assistant Police Chief, Irving, TX
Elvia Williams, Police Chief (ret.), Richton Park, IL
Darren Stevens, Assistant Police Chief, Frisco, TX
Doug Shoemaker, Police Chief, Grand Junction, CO
Danny Williams, Major of Police, Dallas, TX
“We are very impressed with the experience that these finalists have demonstrated,” Hensley said. “Public safety is a very critical service that we offer, and these candidates have a diverse set of leadership experiences that can serve our community well.”
The City of Denton started the selection process in June by working with executive recruitment firm Mosaic Public Partners to perform a nationwide search for candidates. A total of 35 applicants responded. After an initial round of screening interviews, City Manager Sara Hensley, Assistant City Manager Frank Dixon, and staff from Human Resources worked with the recruitment firm to select finalists based on applications, resumes, and experience.
The City will conduct all-day interviews on Thursday, Aug. 4 which will consist of tours and panel interviews that will include City and Department leadership teams, Police Department staff, and community members. As part of the selection process, the City of Denton is hosting a public reception to meet the finalists for Denton Police Chief on Thursday, Aug. 4 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Development Services Building (401 N Elm St.). All community members are invited to attend and in addition to meeting the candidates, attendees will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the finalists.
Contact: Stuart Birdseye, (940) 349-8009, [email protected]
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Visit www.cityofdenton.com for more news and to stay updated.
Assistant Chief Darren Steele, Irving, TX: After serving five years with the Carrollton Police Department, Assistant Chief Darren Steele joined the Irving Police Department in February 1999. He was promoted to sergeant in 2004, to lieutenant in 2007, to captain in 2012, and was selected as an assistant chief in March 2017. He has served in the North and South Patrol Divisions, the Criminal Investigations Division, the Community Services Division, Personnel Development, and Internal Affairs. As an assistant chief, he has commanded the Field Operations Bureau, the Investigative Services Bureau, and the Administrative Services Bureau. Most recently, he served as the Irving Police Department’s interim chief of police from February 2022 until June 2022.
Assistant Chief Steele holds a bachelor's degree in English and Political Science from Texas Tech University and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Oklahoma. He is also a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s 52nd Session of the Senior Management Institute for Police and the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration’s 51st School of Executive Leadership.
Assistant Chief Steele’s professional affiliations include the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Texas Police Chiefs Association, and the North Texas Police Chiefs Association.
Chief Elvia Williams (ret.), Richton Park, IL: Chief Elvia Williams has served in the field of law enforcement for over 33 years. She holds a B.S. from Loyola University Chicago and a M.A. from Hampton University. Elvia is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Oregon Executive Institute for Senior Law Enforcement and the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police. In 1987, she joined the Newport News Virginia Police Department. During her tenure in Newport News, she moved up through the ranks from patrol officer to Community Programs Commander.
In 2000, Elvia joined the Eugene Oregon Police Department as a Captain. She was instrumental in developing a Racial Profiling Study and revamping the Internal Affairs Division. Elvia worked with representatives from minority, educational, civic and civil rights group to address the issue “Driving while Black or Brown.” The Eugene Human Rights Commission and the Eugene/Springfield NAACP formally recognized her for her community outreach.
In 2006, Chief Williams joined the Maywood Illinois Police Department as Police Chief. She worked with community members to improve police/community relations; and partnered with Loyola Medical Center and CeaseFire in conducting a “Gun Buy Back” program. Elvia served as a mentor of youth for Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action (PLCCA) and served on several of its committees to obtain training and hiring grants for past offenders.
In 2010, Chief Williams joined the Richton Park Police Department as Police Chief. She was instrumental in developing positive relationships between the community and police department. During her tenure, the National Night Out program has expanded; implemented the Body Worn Camera initiative for all sworn officers; re-implemented bicycle patrol and the School Resource Officer program; and their improved relationships with all Richton Park School Districts. She was awarded the 2015 Illinois Crime Commission and Police Athletic League “Police Chief of the Year,” and served as the 2015 President of the South Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police. She served on the Board of Directors for the North East Multi-Regional Training (NMERT) for the Metropolitan Chicago area; was the Chair of the NEMRT Training and Curriculum Committee, Vice-Chair of the South Suburban Major Crimes Taskforce; and a member of the NOBLE National Training Committee. She is also a lifetime member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and was named as a Mentor for new chiefs.
Assistant Chief Darren Stevens, Frisco, TX: Frisco Assistant Chief Darren Stevens began his law enforcement career with the Plano Police Department in 1990, after completing five years of service with the U.S. Army. While in Plano, he was promoted through the ranks to Lieutenant and worked in that capacity as a Patrol Lieutenant, Administrative Lieutenant and Criminal Investigations Lieutenant.
In 2002, Darren was hired by the Frisco Police Department as a Captain. Prior to his promotion to Assistant Chief in 2013, he served as a Captain and Deputy Chief in both the Operations and Services Bureaus, and has experience in overseeing every functional aspect of the agency during continuing rapid growth and evolution within the city, as well as within the law enforcement profession. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Dallas Baptist University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University, and is a graduate of the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration’s 64th School of Supervision and 37th Management College, the FBI National Academy, Session 218, PERF’s Senior Management Institute for Police Session 60 and FBI LEEDS Session 77. With over 31 years of law enforcement experience, Darren holds a TCOLE Master Peace Officer Certification. A life-long North Texas resident, Darren has been married to his wife Kandy for 25 years. They have two adult daughters, one granddaughter and are eagerly awaiting another grandchild in September.
Chief Doug Shoemaker, Grand Junction, CO: Chief Shoemaker came to the Grand Junction Colorado Police Department in 2018 after nearly 27 years of service with the Jefferson City Missouri Police Department. He has extensive experience leading a variety of police units, including investigations, narcotics, community services, patrol, SWAT and traffic. He also served as the public information officer as a collateral duty, serving in that capacity for over 12 years. Some of his greatest accomplishments, however, were his work within the community, to include over a decade of volunteer work and fundraising with the Boys and Girls Club and the United Way of Central Missouri. He was also an ambassador for the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce, and spent years developing and prioritizing community partnerships, which ultimately became a pivotal piece of managing the "Journey for Justice," a national march held in the wake of the Ferguson protests in 2014.
Chief Shoemaker is a member of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, and the Police Executives Research Forum. He is the 5th Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature, a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and completed a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership. He is married, and he and his wife have three children.
Major Danny Williams, Dallas, TX: Major Danny Williams is a thirty-five-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. He served in positions including patrol, youth operations, and felony assaults investigation before being promoted to patrol sergeant in 1997. Danny was promoted to lieutenant in 2006 and commanded the operation disruption unit, SWAT, the Central Business District, property crimes investigation, vice, and the gang unit. In 2014, he was appointed to Major of Police and commanded the southcentral patrol division, and later commanded field services division (SWAT, traffic, K9, Love Field, mounted, E.O.D., major crimes, youth operations, gang unit, and fugitive unit), in addition to the criminal investigation bureau.
Major Williams currently commands the Northeast patrol division, and he credits this move as one of his significant accomplishments. Under his watch, the division has demonstrated its ability to successfully collaborate with other city service departments and the community in attacking and eradicating violent crime issues in a north Dallas community during the summer months. Parking and code enforcement, transportation, streets, parks, and recreation work alongside Dallas city Marshalls and Dallas police to ensure the community is safe and not subjected to the re-occurring summer violence. The reduction in violence was accomplished through the practical application of each work group's identified structural functions and carried out in conjunction with the larger team.
Major Williams’ command of the Criminal Investigations Bureau (homicide, robbery, sex assault, family violence, child abuse, youth operations, gang, and fugitive units) was highlighted by the establishment of the Non-Fatal Shoot Team – NFST. This team consists of three groups of detectives assigned to immediately respond to scenes where a complainant was struck by a bullet but did not succumb to their injury. Team deployments improved evidence gathering, witness identification, and increased solvability rates of aggravated assaults and robbery of businesses.
Major Williams is a 2018 graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy (272nd session), a 2015 graduate of the Caruth Police Institute and a member of The Texas Gang Investigator's Association.
Major Williams promotes as his fundamental "law enforcement values" of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do as the catalyst for building lasting police-community relationships founded upon the six pillars of 21st century policing.
Major Williams has been a member of the Dallas, TX community since 1986. He earned a bachelor's degree in public administration from the University of Central Arkansas. He also holds a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of North Texas.