The three finalists in the search for the next Wichita police chief were announced Thursday morning.
The finalists were named after an extensive community engagement process following an organizational assessment conducted by Wichita State University ‘s Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs.
Terri Moses, executive director of safety services for the Wichita Public School system and former deputy chief with the WPD, is the only local candidate still in the running. The current interim Police Chief Nelson Mosley was not chosen as a finalist.
According to the city of Wichita, Moses served more than 32 years in the WPD. She has her bachelor's and master's degrees from Wichita State University.
The other two finalists are Joel F. Fitzgerald, the chief of police in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Gregory W. Stevens, an assistant police chief in Lubbock, Texas.
According to a news release from the city, Fitzgerald also served as chief of police in Missouri City, Texas, from 2009-13. He began his law enforcement career in Philadelphia, where he held leadership roles in drug investigation, community policing and patrol.
Stevens has worked in law enforcement in Lubbock since 1992 and has served as captain of uniform patrol, special operations and the administration section. He is a retired intelligence officer.
“We have great candidates and any of the final three would make a terrific police chief," Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell said at his weekly briefing Thursday.
A public forum to meet the candidates is scheduled for Aug. 31 at Century II.
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