St. Charles police chief candidate pool narrowed to two finalists

St. Charles city officials are in the midst of a search for a new police chief to fill the vacancy left by Jim Keegan’s resignation.

Mayor Clint Hull, City Council members and staff have been conducting the search since May. Keegan resigned on March 19, after more than four months of personal leave beginning in November 2024. Deputy Chief Eric Majewski has been serving as interim police chief in Keegan’s absence.

The city engaged Florida-based consulting group MGT to conduct a national search to fill the position. The city received 47 applications, and after multiple rounds of the interviews in closed sessions during special City Council meetings, Hull said June 26 that the candidate pool has been narrowed to two.

City Administrator Heather McGuire said June 27 that the next round of interviews with the final two candidates will be held on July 7.

“This next week will really be telling for us, on which direction we go,” McGuire said.

McGuire said if a candidate is chosen at the July 7 meeting, the mayoral appointment would still have to be approved by City Council, and then the new chief would be sworn in at a future meeting. Hull said if a decision is made at the next meeting, the swearing in ceremony would likely be held in August or September.

McGuire said if they do not choose one of the finalists from the original pool, the city would consider formally reopening the application process and accepting all new candidates.

“As we’re pivoting and trying to make sure that we find the best candidate here, we’re focused on making sure we’re taking a hard look at anybody that already applied, and that whoever we do move forward with for an appointment is the right fit for the city,” McGuire said. “We want to make sure we’re getting it right, versus trying to just get somebody in the position.”