Tempe residents urged to send questions to police chief finalists

The City of Tempe is encouraging residents to submit questions to be asked of the final four police chief candidates during a Wednesday evening online forum.

Questions may be submitted by 4 p.m. Tuesday through tempe.gov/PoliceChief, where a link to the 6 to 8 p.m. WebEx forum is available, according to a city press release. Residents may also send questions by emailing hr@tempe.gov, listing their name and whether it may be shared during the forum, and if they are a Tempe resident, the press release added.

Questions may also be made during the forum by chat, the news release mentioned.

According to the press release, the following are the four police chief finalists:

Kenneth McCoy, who retired in 2022 as chief of the Anchorage Police Department after 27 years of service. He is a U.S. Army veteran who served 10 years in the Alaska Army National Guard and was honorably discharged as a captain in 2000. McCoy has a bachelor's degree in justice from the University of Alaska in Anchorage.

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Josie Montenegro is the current interim chief of the Tempe Police Department and has worked there for 22 years. She obtained a bachelor's degree in criminology from the University of Oklahoma and a master's degree in organizational leadership from Northern Arizona University.

Tom Van Dorn, who retired in 2019 as a commander in the Phoenix Police Department after 24 years of service. He served in the Maricopa County Attorney's Office as a deputy county attorney. He has a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Phoenix and a law degree from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Tom Worthy serves as chief of the City of the Dalles Police Department in Oregon. He previously served 29 years with the Oregon State Police, reaching the rank of major. He has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Washington State University and a master's degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership from the University of San Diego.

The search for former Chief Jeff Glover's successor began in February following his appointment by Gov. Katie Hobbs to serve as director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Tempe City Manager Andrew Ching has ultimate hiring authority for the police chief, according to the press release.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tempe urges residents to send questions to police chief finalists