Sheldon, Iowa — And then there were three. Sheldon City officials have narrowed down the field of applicants for the police chief position. Six people had applied for the position.
Sheldon Police Chief Scott Burtch has resigned his post, and filling his spot in the interim is one of the remaining candidates, Eric Meinecke.
Information received from the City of Sheldon states that Meinecke became the Sheldon K9 Officer shortly after joining the department in 2019. He has served as sergeant since December 2022. They tell us Meinecke served the communities of Rock Valley from 2011 until 2016 and Sanborn as a Reserve Police Officer from 2016 until 2019. They tell us he volunteered with the Sheldon Fire Company for 15 years, and retired as a Captain. He also spent ten years with the Sheldon Water Department. Meinecke has spent 13 years in law enforcement, including eight in reserves.
Another candidate is Sheldon Police Officer Dan Crawley. The City says Crawley has been a Sheldon Patrol Officer since December 2020, and has been the Sheldon School Resource Officer since the fall of 2023. They say previous roles include U.S. Border Patrol Agent, Pottawattamie County (Iowa) Deputy and eight years with the City of Glenwood, serving as a K9 Officer for half of that time. They say Crawley began his law enforcement career in 2008 as an Officer in Clarinda. He served as a Jailer from 2005 until 2008 in Mills County, and as a Reserve Police Officer in Council Bluffs in 2007 and 2008. Crawley says he has 17 years in law enforcement, including one year in reserves and three as a jailer.
The third candidate is Patrick O’Donohoe, who is an investigator (sworn) with the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office in Visalia, California. He served previously as Vice Principal with the St. Alosyius School; was a seargeant and acting lieutenant, Corporal, and Officer with City of Tulare, California. He also served as an Officer in Lemoore, CA. O’Donohoe has 16 years in law enforcement.
Sheldon City Manager Sam Kooiker says city officials do not have a definite timeline to hire someone for the position. He says they are just working on keeping the process going. Kooiker says all six elected officials, City Clerk Angela Beckman, and Kooiker will be in the interviews, so they will take some time to schedule.
