Dickinson police chief candidate dropped

Talk about it

Dickinson had dropped one of three candidates for an open police chief position due to an ongoing hit-and-run death investigation, according to a press release issued Wednesday.

Ralph McLaughlin is a former Goodyear (Arizona) Police Department commander. A background search revealed McLaughlin was a part of an investigation into an alleged hit-and-run death by a Goodyear police officer.

The investigation revealed a series of anomalies in the department’s investigation, according to the city of Dickinson press release.

Dickinson Administrator Shawn Kessel spoke with McLaughlin regarding the situation.

“I needed to learn more from Mr. McLaughlin about the facts surrounding the investigation, the role he had in the investigation and the incident itself,” Kessel said in the release.

After a review, Dickinson decided to no longer consider him as a finalist, he said.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed in it, but I respect Kessel’s decision,” McLaughlin told The Dickinson Press on Wednesday evening. “I’d hoped that they’d be able to look past the media frenzy that you guys seem to stir up sometimes, but I’ll keep searching for other opportunities and I wish the best of luck for Dickinson.”

Remaining finalists include Lt. Jeff Jirak of the Muscatine (Iowa) Police Department and Dickinson Police Department Capt. Dustin Dassinger.

The opening comes as Chuck Rummel retired as DPD chief earlier this year.

Candidates will be in Dickinson Tuesday and Wednesday for meetings, interviews and a public reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Badlands Activities Center.

Tags: dickinson police department, police chief, ralph mclaughlin, news, candidate