City to host meet and greet with Police Chief finalists

Evans City Manager Cody R. Sims is leading the search for a new Chief of Police. Mr. Sims employed a competitive solicitation process and ultimately selected Strategic Government Resources (SGR) to assist the City in the search for the new Chief of Police. 34 applications/expressions of interest were initially received by the City and 11 semi-finalists were selected. Three of those 11 withdrew their applications and the remaining eight were tasked with completing a detailed questionnaire and video interviews that were used to further evaluate their candidacy and best fit for the position. From there, three finalists, listed below, were selected to proceed in the selection process that will involve a detailed two-day in-person interview that will be held on June 4 – 5, and will consist of panel interviews, presentations, one-on-one visioning discussions, meet-and-greet events, and a tour of the community.  

The Chief of Police will report directly to Mr. Sims and will serve on the City Manager’s Executive Team that is also comprised of the Chief Financial Officer, the City Clerk, the City Attorney, and the Directors of the Public Works, Information Technology, Economic Development, and Community Development Departments. According to Mr. Sims, “I am deeply appreciative of all of the candidates who expressed interest in leading our police department. The quality of candidates our recruitment process attracted is very exciting, and I’m committed to completing a thorough and thoughtful recruitment to identify the best candidate to serve as our next chief.”

The City of Evans will host a meet-and-greet with the four finalists on June 4 at 7pm at the Evans Community Complex. Interested residents are encouraged to attend, meet the finalists, share their thoughts on the relationship between the Evans community and police department and provide feedback.

The three finalists are:

Randall Darlin: 31 years of service in policing; 13 years in executive leadership positions including Deputy Chief of Police, Deputy Bureau Chief, Deputy Chief of Operations, Commander and Captain and with the Chicago (Ill.) and Northglenn (Colo.) Police Departments. Holds a Juris Doctor Degree from Univ. of Illinois Chicago School of Law and is a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois. Served as Commanding Officer Area South Gang Enforcement Division with the Chicago (Ill.) PD. Graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police.

Mike Zeller: Currently serving as the Evans Interim Chief of Police; 28 years of Colorado law enforcement experience, predominately in Greeley, Colo. Leadership roles with Greeley, Colo. PD including Deputy Chief of Police, Police Commander, Police Sergeant; Deputy Sheriff, Grand County (Colo.) Sheriff Department, Deputy Sheriff in Denver County (Colo.) Sheriff Dept. Extensive experience and knowledge of the Greeley/Evans area. Holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado – Denver School of Public Affairs and is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff & Command.

Jason Janopoulos: Served in the Police Departments in Albuquerque, N. Mex and Chicago, Ill. Held leadership roles in both departments including Deputy Commander (Albuquerque), Watch Commander (Chicago), Police Security Supervisor at Navy Pier (Chicago), and served as the Chicago PD Gang Unit as an officer and Sergeant. Fluent in Spanish and experienced working in diverse communities, building high-performing teams and employing forward-thinking crime reduction strategies. Holds a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership and is a graduate of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety – Supervision and Management of Police Personnel.