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Meet the finalists

City holds meet-and-greet with police chief candidates

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Fort Dodge Police Chief candidate Dominic Wibe, a lieutenant with the Cedar Rapids Police Department, at right, chats with Fort Dodge Police officers Donald McLaren, left, Sgt. Dennis Quinn, center, and Sgt. Ryan Gruenberg, with back to camera, during a meet and greet with the three candidates for the position Tuesday in the Council Chambers at the Fort Dodge Municipal Building.

The three finalists vying to become the next chief of the Fort Dodge Police Department held a public meet-and-greet at the Fort Dodge Municipal Building Tuesday afternoon.

Current Police Chief Kevin Doty will be retiring in December after 24 years with the Fort Dodge Police Department.

The candidates met in the Fort Dodge City Council chambers where they spoke with members of the Fort Dodge City Council, various city officials and officers with the Fort Dodge Police Department.

Former Fort Dodge Police Chief Tim Carmody, who is now the chief of the Council Bluffs Police Department, also returned to meet with the candidates.

Although the search process is going on now and the new chief is expected to be named soon, they won’t actually take over leading the department until after Doty retires in December.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Fort Dodge Police Chief candidate Roger Porter, who is currently assistant chief, chats with former Fort Dodge Police Chief Tim Carmody, at left, and current Chief Kevin Doty. The three final candidates for the position attended a meet-and-greet Tuesday evening in the Council Chambers at the Fort Dodge Municipal Building.

The Messenger spoke with all three candidates about their interest in the position and what they would bring to the department as police chief.

Kelly Hindman

Kelly Hindman retired from the Iowa State Patrol in December, where he had worked for 28 years.

At the time of his retirement, Hindman was a lieutenant, whose main responsibility was serving as district commander for the Fort Dodge-based Post 7.

Hindman called the position of Fort Dodge police chief “a unique opportunity for me.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Webster County Sheriff Jim Stubbs, at left, chats with Fort Dodge police chief candidates Kelly Hindman, center, a former Iowa State Patrol lieutenant, and Fort Dodge Assistant Chief Roger Porter, right, during a meet-and-greet in the Council Chambers at the Fort Dodge Municipal Building.

“This is one of those positions that I’ve always had my eye on throughout my law enforcement career if the timing was ever right,” he said. “When they had an opening, I kind of always told myself I was going to make a run at it and apply.”

A former Fort Dodge City Councilman, Hindman said he enjoys being a part of the community.

“I care a lot about Fort Dodge,” he said. “I’ve been involved in a lot of things, from City Council and lots of different civic groups. I thought it was one more way I could give back to the community, so I had a lot of interest in the position as soon as I heard it was coming open.”

If he’s selected as the next Fort Dodge police chief, Hindman said he believes his 30-year law enforcement career will be beneficial to his new role, with much of that career being in management positions.

“I also have a real passion for Fort Dodge, and those are hard to manufacture,” Hindman said. “You either sort of feel the way you do about your community or you don’t. And I’m a big believer in Fort Dodge and the direction we’re going. And I’d just love to continue to contribute in the capacity of police chief.”

Hindman actually began his law enforcement career with the Fort Dodge Police Department before he joined the Iowa State Patrol in 1988.

He served as the safety education officer for the post and received the Commissioner’s Special Award for Traffic Safety in 1999. He was also recognized for using intoxication simulator goggles to show young people how alcohol impairs the ability to drive.

An accident reconstruction officer, Hindman was promoted to lieutenant and led Post 6 in Spencer for about three years before becoming commander of Post 7 in May 2007.

Roger Porter

Roger Porter is the current assistant chief of the Fort Dodge Police Department.

He has been with the department since 1996.

A Fort Dodge native, Porter said he has always wanted to be a law enforcement officer and he especially wanted to serve the community he grew up in.

“This is my hometown, this is where I grew up, this is where I want to raise my family,” Porter said. “My goal has always been to advance through the ranks. The final rank for a law enforcement officer is the chief of police. I feel this is the community I want to serve and this is where I think I can best serve the community in this position.”

Porter said he believes his 21 years of experience with the Fort Dodge Police Department would benefit him should he be selected as the city’s next police chief.

“I’ve held every rank within the Police Department and I feel I have the respect from the community and law enforcement officers that currently serve there,” he said.

Porter added the department is very team-oriented and, if he becomes chief, would like to continue the department’s focus on the community in its operations.

“I always pride myself on being a community-oriented police officer and, with that mindset, getting more involved with the community, which is something we’ve been doing for the last number of years,” he said. “Continuing with that momentum, getting more involved in community-oriented programs to let the community know that we’re there to serve them. We want to bridge any gaps that are out there.”

“With that mindset, I think with a good leadership team we can accomplish those goals.”

Porter has been the department’s assistant chief since September 2014. Prior to that, he served as a captain, where he was in charge of supervising the department’s Criminal Investigations Division.

He is also a March 2015 graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, a selective program for law enforcement officers that teaches them new skills.

Dominic Wibe

Dominic Wibe has served with the Cedar Rapids Police Department since 1989 and currently holds the rank of lieutenant.

He has also served in the United States Army Reserve, where he said he has held leadership positions.

“My goal that I’ve set for myself is to lead a police department, and it’s a great opportunity,” he said. “It moves me closer to where my parents are. Those two things I thought work well together.”

Wibe said his parents live in the Cherokee area, which is where he’s originally from.

He said he enjoys Fort Dodge.

“It’s a great-sized community and a great-sized police department for me to take that opportunity and try to lead law enforcement professionals in solving community problems and impacting crime,” Wibe said.

He added that his experience in law enforcement would be an asset to the department if he’s selected as the next chief of the Fort Dodge Police Department.

“I have a very broad background in law enforcement and a fairly broad in-depth understanding of leadership,” Wibe said. “I think those two things combined will bring some empowerment and real true professionalism to responses to calls.”

He added he also wants to promote teamwork within the department.

“I hope to create a great team environment for officers so they can go out and work with citizens to solve issues and concerns,” he said.

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