JANESVILLE — The two finalists for JanesvilleÃÛèÖÊÓƵ next police chief met with community members Tuesday evening at the Janesville Performing Arts Center.
In October, the cityÃÛèÖÊÓƵ Police and Fire Commission named three finalists for the chiefÃÛèÖÊÓƵ position: Alan Fear, Patrick Hoey and Chad Pearson.
In early November, Fear withdrew his application.
Former Police Chief David Moore retired in September after 15 years as police chief and 47 years with the Janesville Police Department.
Local residents, city leaders and even legislators State Sen. Mark Spreitzer and Rep. Sue Conelly stopped in Tuesday night to talk to the remaining candidates.
Chad Pearson and Patrick Hoey stood at opposite ends of the room sharing plans for the city and department, issues they want to work on and thoughts on how they plan to fill MooreÃÛèÖÊÓƵ shoes.
Patrick Hoey
Hoey graduated from Western Illinois University with a bachelorÃÛèÖÊÓƵ degree in law enforcement administration and holds an associate degree from Rock Valley College. He also holds certificates from the University of Virginia and Northern Illinois University.
He was chief of police for the village of Carpentersville, Illinois, from 2021 to 2023. His professional background includes serving as the chief of police in South Beloit and assistant deputy chief of police in Rockford.
He has been in law enforcement for 36 years and he feels that his past experience working in both big and small communities will help him be a police chief that Janesville needs.
He said that he has served communities that were growing in population and in diversity. He said one of his greatest skills is working with the community to solve issues when they come up.
He said one of his best experiences as a police officer was supervising the community service programs. He was a representative of a homeless task force and also a board member of the domestic violence advocacy center in Elgin.
He said that community and outreach groups that help with homelessness or mental health issues really aid in keeping a community safe because they educate the officers and show them how to help the individual.
“The issues that plague the community whether they are urban or rural are domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse,†he said. “So any organization or community that deals with any of those topics is a friend of law enforcement.â€
He said he feels like being a fresh face in Janesville might be a benefit to the community and if he was selected he wouldn’t be coming in to change everything. He wants to work with staff and the city to help keep Janesville moving forward.
“Maybe this is an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective into the agency who has experience with different communities,†he said.
Chad Pearson
Chad Pearson has a bachelorÃÛèÖÊÓƵ degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He is a graduate of the FBI National Law Enforcement Academy and the UW-Madison Command College.
He is the current acting chief police of the Janesville Police Department and has been its deputy chief of operations since 2022. He joined the department in 1997 and has served as a sergeant and lieutenant.
Pearson said he is grateful that Moore left the city in a great spot with the lowest crime rate in 40 years. However, he feels an area that the department can work to improve might be crisis intervention.
“Working on how to approach people who are suffering from mental health related issues is a place that we could really work on,†he said. “Having a mental health crisis is not a crime, but we need to facilitate a connection to help these individuals move on in life, because everyone deserves that.â€
He said that right now they don’t have the resources to respond to things when they are all happening at once. He said there needs to be a collaborative effort to secure the area and make sure no one gets hurt, but also they need to find the individual who is suffering and get them resources to help them.
He said diversity is also a big issue. He said he would like to expand upon the Latino advisory committee and make it more of an outreach program because many people in the Latino community in Janesville are scared of police so he would like to build better connections with that community.
He thinks that both of the advisory committees also should be involved with the police recruitment to help make the officers reflect the diversity of Janesville.
Kevin Lahner, the city manager, said he looks for a strong leader and a cheerleader for the city of Janesville, and a good fit with the team.
“We need someone who will work well with us and collaborate to help get big things accomplished in the city,†he said.
Neil Deupree, a community member and a board member of the Diversity Action Team of Rock County said he wants the police chief to be culturally competent and he is looking to get the police department involved with the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging group.
“It would also be nice to keep seeing more diversity in the police department,†he said. “I want a police chief who is aware of what society is like and to make a conscious effort to serve the whole community.â€
Sen. Mark Spreitzer said he is looking for the police chief to take a proactive approach to policing and engage the community in crime prevention.
“Someone who won’t only respond when someone calls 911, but someone who will think ahead of root causes of crime,†he said.
Spreitzer said the candidates have unique perspectives they bring to the table. He said Pearson has a knowledge of Janesville and love for the community and Hoey has experience in different communities and could bring fresh ideas to the city.
Lahner said that Wednesday the police and fire commission are meeting to talk about the candidates and the soonest there could be an answer would be on Wednesday. He said they have to check with the final person to see if they still want the job before they release it to the public.
