The city of Denton announced Wednesday that it has named its next police chief.
City Manager Sara Hensley has selected Doug Shoemaker — the current police chief in Grand Junction, Colorado — for the position of Denton’s chief of police, according to a city news release. Shoemaker is scheduled to be sworn into office and assume the duties of the Chief on Oct. 3, pending City Council confirmation. Shoemaker will assume leadership of the police department from current Police Chief Frank Dixon, who was promoted to the position of assistant city manager/director of public safety in March.
Shoemaker has led the Grand Junction PD since June 2018. Prior to that, he spent over 26 years with the Jefferson City Police Department in Missouri, according to the city of Denton. Shoemaker has widespread experience managing and leading a variety of police units including investigations, narcotics, community services, patrol and traffic. During his time in Missouri, he was involved with national and international events and outreach efforts during critical incidents, such as a mass shooting event at a manufacturing plant in his jurisdiction, the NAACP’s Journey for Justice, and a march from Ferguson to Jefferson City to address the Michael Brown shooting in August 2014.
While in Grand Junction, Shoemaker was credited with establishing a strong outreach effort between the Grand Junction Police Department and the Colorado Mesa University football team. Alongside former CMU Head Coach Tremaine Jackson, Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout, and countless others, Shoemaker established himself as a unifier within the Grand Junction community. His philosophy and core values of community policing, placing service above self, having integrity, and treating everyone with dignity and respect, is unwavering. A creative thinker, Shoemaker fostered strong relationships within GJPD via a book club, which was open to all members of GJPD. This offered sworn and civilian professional staff a forum to openly discuss contemporary issues in America and in American policing. Through insightful discussions, employees could speak freely of their personal growth, professionally and personally.
Shoemaker is the Fifth Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as a member of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Executive Research Forum, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. He was appointed by the IACP president to the position of Committee Chair for the Police Standards Ethics and Image Committee, one of IACP’s 27 worldwide committee chair positions, before assuming the Fifth Vice Presidency. He most recently served as Vice-Chair of the IACP’s Public Information Officers Section, with duties to collaborate with other media experts to establish best practices in public outreach and media relations. He is an adjunct instructor for Northwestern University in Chicago, as well as an adjunct instructor for Colorado Mesa University. He holds a Bachelor in English Literature from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Missouri, and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University in Delaware.
Shoemaker was selected after a nationwide search, which yielded 35 applicants. This selection process included four interview panels with members from the community, business community, non-governmental stakeholders, internal police department staff, and city executive staff. The candidates also participated in an open meeting with City Council members and a public community meet and greet, where comments and feedback about the candidates was solicited. As a final step in the process, Hensley and Dixon conducted a site visit to Grand Junction to interview members of GJPD, City of Grand Junction Executive staff and external stakeholders.
