By Jay Mejia
JayM@lstribune.net

The city of Lee’s Summit has interviewed three finalists to fill the position of police chief, which has been vacant since Lee’s Summit Police Chief Joe Piccinini retired in January of this year.

One of those candidates is Lee’s Summit Police Major Scott Lyons, who has been serving as the Acting Police Chief since Jan. 14, 2014.

The other two candidates include one individual from the Kansas City metropolitan area and the other one is from out-of-state. As with major Lyons, they also work in law enforcement.

The three finalists vying for police chief met last Friday and Saturday with city officials and panels representing long-time department directors who know the community well, police department command staff and departmental employees. They also interviewed with a panel of stakeholders within the Lee’s Summit community.

City officials say a decision to hire the new police chief will be made by mid-July.

In conducting the search for a new police chief, city officials said they wanted someone with at least ten years of increasingly responsible experience as a sworn police officer, including at least five years of command experience in a police department of a mid-sized city. The new chief should have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, public administration or a related field from an accredited college or university as well as completed command training or education such as the FBI National Academy.

They also said they wanted someone with proven administrative, financial, operational, and organizational skills. Superior leadership, interpersonal communication and social sensitivity skills are also essential.

For more information, contact the City of Lee’s Summit’s Administration Department (816) 969-1010.