Caledonia Argus - Caledonia Police Chief is hired

Caledonia Police Chief is hired

By Charlie Warner

Argus News Editor

If he accepts the offer, Kurt W. Zehnder, who is the current police chief at Good Thunder, Minn. will be heading up the Caledonia Police Department. By a 4-1 vote, the Caledonia City Council approved a motion offering the police chief’s position to Zehnder.

The council action was taken during a special meeting held June 30. Zehnder will take the place of former police chief Randy Shefelbine, who retired in June.

The city had 19 persons apply for the position. That field was narrowed to eight, who were all interviewed by a panel made up of the full city council, the city administrator and the police chiefs from Goodview and Preston. Those eight candidates were graded on a points system and the three candidates who received the most points were named the finalists.

The three finalists were Zehnder, former Houston County Deputy Ken Frank and a law enforcement officer from Illinois. The candidate from Illinois decided to drop out of the running, leaving Zehnder and Frank as the two finalists.

Following background checks, a committee made up of council members Randi Vick and Bob Lemke and City Administrator Bob Nelson reviewed all of the information and made a recommendation to the council at the June 30 meeting to hire Zehnder.

While the two finalists were both excellent candidates, Zehnder had scored higher by the majority of the eight persons doing the interviewing. Council members indicated that was the determining factor.

The motion to offer the position was made by Councilwoman Peggy Perry and seconded by Vick. Perry, Vick, Lemke and Councilman Tom Murphy voted in favor of the motion. Mayor Bob Burns voted against it.

It is hoped Zehnder will be able to begin duties on July 20. His salary was set at $25.50 per hour, based on a 40-hour week. He will have a probationary period of one year, at which time he will receive a three percent raise.