City of Plano narrows police chief shortlist to three candidates

The city of Plano has whittled its list of possible new police chiefs down to three candidates who work for police departments in Arlington, Irving, and Overland Park, Kansas.

Plano announced in a Nov. 26 news release that the three-person shortlist of candidates includes Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson, Irving Assistant Police Chief Brian Redburn and Simon Happer, Overland Park deputy chief of police.

“We received an impressive number of highly qualified applicants who want to be the next Plano Police Chief,” City Manager Mark Israelson said in the release. “It has been an extremely [competitive] process to get to this point in the search and we are confident that this effort will result in finding a professional Chief who will have the experience and vision to lead the outstanding Plano Police Department team.”

The search vetted candidate applications from 11 U.S. states and two countries, according to the city. Strategic Government Resources, a Keller-based firm, conducted the search.

Next, the city will hold a series of interviews conducted by a panel of Plano citizens, a group of the city's executive team and a police panel. The mayor and members of City Council will have a chance to talk with the candidates before they undergo background checks and other testing, the city said.

The position opened up in September when the city announced former Police Chief Greg Rushin would be promoted to deputy city manager.

Johnson, the Arlington police chief, has 24 years of policing experience and served as assistant police chief prior to entering his current role.

Redburn, a licensed attorney, has experience leading the Irving Police Department's administrative services bureau and has spent time as a law-enforcement instructor.

Happer's 29 years of police and community leadership culminated in his current role at Overland Park, where he manages the police department's operation and services departments.