City Administrator Jim Ristow has announced that the City of Bellevue has hired Kenneth Clary for the position of Police Chief. Mr. Clary will replace Interim Police Chief Tom Dargy, who has served in that role since January of this year. While Captain Dargy decided early on that he was not going to submit his name as a candidate for the Police Chief opening, he has done an exemplary job leading the department during the selection process. The City is truly grateful for his guidance, professionalism and dedication to policing, the department and the community.
Kenneth Clary comes to the City of Bellevue with over 25 years of experience having worked for the Iowa State Patrol since 1994. Throughout his career he has served in a variety of roles including District Commander, Statewide Tactical Commander, Assistant Operations Commander, Professional Standards Bureau, and CALEA Accreditation Coordinator. For the last five years he has served in his current assignment as an Area Commander (Captain).
Mr. Clary received his Master in Public Administration degree from Upper Iowa University, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha. He was selected by the National Institute of Justice as a Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholar (where he served from 2016-2019). He also graduated from the FBI National Academy (Session 269), completed the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) – Leadership in Police Organizations training, and Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command. He currently serves as an Executive Fellow for the National Police Foundation, as the Board Co-Chair for the IACP – Police Research Advancement Section, and was inducted into the Center for Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame in 2019.
Mr. Clary has also served his community as a Special Olympics Torch Run Volunteer for several years. He currently serves as the Board Chair for the Food Bank of Iowa. Ken has been awarded the Iowa Governor’s Volunteer Award on two occasions for his philanthropic efforts (2014 and 2016).
City Administrator Jim Ristow selected Mr. Clary from a field of twenty candidates after an extensive interview process which was governed by the Bellevue Civil Service Commission. Mr. Ristow said, “Chief Clary will prove to be a valuable asset to Bellevue as he brings a great deal of experience in law enforcement and community service to the City. As someone who values trust and accountability, he will do a great job with moving the department forward. I welcome him to Bellevue and I look forward to the opportunity for the dedicated members of the Bellevue Police Department and the Bellevue community to get to know him and work with him. “
Chief Clary will start working for the City of Bellevue in the beginning of September and will oversee a Police Department that is made up of over 100 dedicated men and women.