Full Notification

The Sun Prairie Police Commission is proud to announce the hiring of Michael Steffes as Sun Prairie’s Chief of Police. The approval was made during a special meeting of the Police Commission on November 26, 2019. Mr. Steffes has 25 years of law enforcement experience with Beaver Dam, Rhinelander, and Shorewood Hills Police Departments, along with his current experience as Deputy Administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Justice. He is a National Instructor in Leadership in Police Organizations for the International Association of Chiefs of Police and has instructed throughout the United States and Canada.

After Chief Anhalt’s retirement in April, the Police Commission put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) and engaged GovHR USA Consultants to assist with the Chief of Police recruitment process. As part of this process, input meetings were held in July with community stakeholders, law enforcement partners, and department staff to assist the Commission in identifying the key characteristics, skills, and traits of an ideal candidate; as well as identifying some of the local community issues the new Chief will face. Those informal discussions helped in preparing a recruitment brochure and set the foundation for identifying outstanding candidates that fit our community’s needs.

The city initially received nineteen applications in August; however, the Commission instructed GovHR USA to continue its outreach to qualified candidates, including women and minorities. The final number of applicants submitting resumes for the Sun Prairie Chief of Police position was twenty-seven. There were no female applicants for the position. In addition, none of the current police command staff applied.

The Police Commission expanded GovHR USA’s initial qualified pool from six to thirteen, including four minority candidates. After background checking and screening by GovHR USA, the Commission chose six candidates, including two minority candidates, for initial interviews. Two final candidates were identified and the Commission held a Meet & Greet. Police department personnel, the Mayor, City Council members, the City Administrator, several department managers and Community Stakeholders who were invited to participate back in July, were invited to this event. Final interviews with these two candidates were held on Saturday, November 23.

Chief Steffes will start employment on December 30, 2019. “I am humbled and honored to become the Chief of Police in a community where I have resided the last three years with my family and truly value the welcoming atmosphere, sense of community, and support for public safety that I have seen in Sun Prairie. Having had the opportunity to work with the department members, I have been impressed with their dedication, compassion, and professionalism and I am excited to join their team.”

The Police Commission would like to thank the community for their involvement in this process and looks forward to having Chief Steffes lead the Police Department with honesty, integrity, and a willingness to engage community members in making Sun Prairie an open and inviting community.

Contact:
Brenda Sukenik
Human Resources Director
608-825-1172