Published February 23 2015
Today the City of Bellevue announced four finalists for police chief -- an assistant chief with the Phoenix police; the Southlake, Texas police chief; a former assistant chief with the Montgomery County, Md. police; and a division commander with the Chicago police (full biographies below).
Recruited by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) during a targeted search, the candidates will come to Bellevue this week to meet with the community, City Council and city staff. The public is invited to a reception Thursday, February 26, 5-7 p.m., at City Hall, room 1E-112.
Last summer, the city launched a nationwide search for its next police chief. As part of that process, staff, residents, local businesses and other stakeholders provided input on the qualities they desired in the next chief. After the first round of on-site interviews did not result in a hiring, City Manager Brad Miyake opted for a more targeted approach.
Former Bellevue Police Chief Jim Montgomery has been serving as the interim police chief since Linda Pillo retired last April, after seven years as chief.
Miyake, who will appoint the chief, expects to have a new chief on board this spring. Complete information about the recruitment and high-resolution photos of the candidates are available at Police Chief Recruitment.
The Finalists
Chuck Miiller, assistant chief, Phoenix Police
Chief Miiller has been with the Phoenix Police Department for more than 23 years. He is responsible for the department's Special Operations & Applied Sciences division, with oversight of more than 800 employees and a budget of $80 million. Bureaus in the division include information technology, public affairs, laboratory services and strategic information (including crime analysis). Prior to joining the Phoenix PD, Miiller served in with the Marine Corps Reserve, participating in the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations.
Chief Miiller has been building relationships of trust and accountability throughout his career. His strengths include employee mentoring, workforce and strategic planning, public relations, organizational transition and public speaking. Before becoming assistant chief, Miiller was a precinct commander, night-time duty commander and Public Affairs bureau commander. In 2012, he received the department's Sam Leabo Award for his leadership of reserve officer training and marketing.
Chief Miiller earned a master's degree in public administration and a bachelor's degree, both from Ottawa University. He has completed the Thunderbird School of Global Management's Global Leadership Certificate and is completing the Police Executive Leadership Institute program.
Stephen Mylett, chief, Southlake, Texas Police
Chief Mylett has led the Southlake Police Department since 2011, after 23 years with the Corpus Christi Police. During his tenure at Southlake, property crimes have decreased by 30 percent.
At Corpus Christi, Chief Mylett rose through the ranks, from cadet to assistant chief. He served in various divisions and assignments, including the patrol, special services (narcotics), community services and administration divisions. Throughout his career, Chief Mylett continued to seek out formal education opportunities while striving for additional responsibilities. Before joining the Corpus Christi force, Chief Mylett served in the Air Force as a security police officer for six years.
Chief Mylett earned a bachelor's degree in applied arts and sciences from Midwestern State University and a master of science degree in criminal justice leadership and management from Sam Houston State University. He is also a graduate of professional development courses including senior management in policing (Police Executive Forum) and Bill Blackwood Leadership Command College.
Drew Tracy, former assistant chief, Montgomery County, Md. Police
Drew Tracy has more than 30 years of police experience, retiring from the Montgomery County, Md. Police Department as assistant chief. He is a lead instructor for the State Department's Antiterrorism Assistance program. Serving as an executive officer in all three of the Montgomery County department's bureaus -- operations, administrative and investigations -- gave Tracy a broad perspective on guiding a department, raising job satisfaction and providing a better policing approach for the community.
He has successfully handled critical incidents through creative problem-solving and collaboration. During the Washington D.C. area sniper incident in 2002, Tracy was operations commander for the successful, multi-jurisdictional Sniper Taskforce. He has been named Rotary Club Police Officer of the Year and Chamber of Commerce Police Officer of the Year. Johns Hopkins University staff rated Tracy one of the top commanders in the Baltimore-Washington area. He was one of the architects of the first community policing initiative in Montgomery County. He places an emphasis on intelligence-led policing.
Tracy earned a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York Cortland and a master's in business administration from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. He is a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy and National Executive Institute.
Gary Yamashiroya, division commander, Chicago Police
Gary Yamashiroya is a 28-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, and is the North area detective division commander. He has also served as a district commander and commander with the education and training division.
In 1999-2000, Commander Yamashiroya served in the United Nations mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a police advisor to the Office of Civil Affairs and deputy chief of the Joint Task Force. He has also assisted the State Department - Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs on several initiatives.
Commander Yamashiroya is an adjunct faculty member at Harry S. Truman College in Chicago. He earned his bachelor of science degree in information and decision sciences from the University of Illinois College of Business and a law degree from DePaul University College of Law.