The City of Sheridan released some of the names of the six remaining candidates for Sheridan Police Chief. All six finalists were asked to submit a biography for public review.
Daniel Busken began his law enforcement career in University City, Missouri in 1983. He was most recently Chief of Police in Madison, Alabama, where he has been for 9 years.
Rick Arnold is currently a watch commander for the Loveland Police Department in Colorado. He has been with the department over 20 years now and was awarded a medal of valor in 1998.
Kenneth Gillespie started his career working with the Pomona, California Police Department in 1979. He retired from the department in 2008 to become Assistant Police Chief in New Haven, Connecticut.
These three candidates will join three others in an extensive testing and interview process Thursday and Friday.
All six finalists are expected to attend a meet and greet function Thursday night, hosted by the Sheridan City Council in their chambers at City Hall. The reception is expected to last around an hour and is scheduled for 8PM.
DANIEL J. BUSKEN:
Daniel J. Busken was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He lived there with his parents, three brothers and one sister. His parents both served in the Army during World War II. They owned and operated a small neighborhood grocery store for over 40 years. His parents passed away in 2002, and one of his brothers, who was disabled his entire life, passed away in 1996.
He graduated from high school in 1979, where he was involved in football and ice hockey. He played football for three years at Culver-Stockton College, located in Canton, Missouri, and was a team Captain his senior year. In May of 1983, he graduated from this institution with a degree in Business Administration.
Daniel J. Busken began his law enforcement career with the University City, Missouri Police Department in May of 1983 and received 16 weeks of basic training at the St. Louis Police Academy. Busken served as President of his police academy class. Following this training, he spent the next nine years as a police officer, crime prevention specialist, investigator (four years in narcotics - working undercover), and served as a Field Commander of the Municipal Enforcement Group (MEG Drug Unit). Busken began work on a Master's degree while employed by University City.
Busken was appointed Chief of Police in Crystal City, Missouri beginning this assignment on January 1, 1993. Crystal City is a community of 4,500 residents, located on the Mississippi river, approximately 30 miles south of St. Louis. Crystal City experienced two devastating floods during his tenure. Busken received his Master's Degree in Public Administration from St. Louis University in 1994. He attended session 184 of the FBI National Academy in 1996.
Busken was appointed as Chief of Police in Madison, Alabama following seven years as the Chief of Police in Crystal City. He began the assignment in Madison on February 1, 2000 and continued in this assignment until February 1, 2009. Madison's population was 29,000 in 2000. The population reached 42,000 over the last nine years. In October of 2001, Busken sent eight Madison police officers to New York to assist with security following the terrorist activity of September 11. Efforts of these officers were noted in the book Chicken Soup for the Soul. Busken returned to the FBI Academy in 2003 to attend the Law Enforcement Executive Development (LEEDS) course. In addition, he began work on a doctorate in Business Administration/Criminal Justice and has completed 27 of the 51 hours required for this degree.
Busken is the father of three children. Alex is 19 - a sophomore at Auburn University, Jacob is 17 - a senior in high school, and Elizabeth is 14 - in the eighth grade. He enjoys exercise, watching most professional sports, and working around the home.
RICK ARNOLD:
Lt. Rick Arnold has served with the nationally-accredited Loveland Police Department in Colorado for over 20 years and is currently a patrol division Watch Commander. Some of his collateral assignments are SWAT Team Commander, Field Training Program Coordinator, and Alternatives to Violence board member. His diverse career has included all facets of patrol, traffic and investigative unit operations. He has also worked on various grant development and management programs. He has received several commendations and was awarded the Medal of Valor in 1998. His educational background includes an A.A.S. in Criminal Justice, B.A. in History and Government, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and he is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command. His hobbies include camping, boating and photography.
KENNETH M. GILLESPIE:
Kenneth M. Gillespie was born and raised in the Los Angeles, California metropolitan area. Along with his wife Karen, Kenneth has five children and three grandchildren. Kenneth’s career in public safety began when he joined the Police Explorer Program as a scout in high school followed by his work as a Police Cadet while in college. Kenneth graduated from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy in June, 1978 and transferred to the Pomona (California) Police Department in February, 1979. His assignments in Pomona included Patrol, Detectives (Major Crimes, Gangs, and Narcotics), Motors, SWAT, Air Support, Training Bureau, Internal Affairs, Recruitment and Background Investigations. Throughout his tenure in Pomona, Kenneth was promoted to the ranks of: Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain, serving as Division Commander of all major divisions of the Pomona Police Department including: Operations, Support Services, Professional Standards, and Investigative Services. He retired from the Pomona Police Department on September 26, 2008 to accept a position as Assistant Police Chief with the New Haven Department of Police Services, commanding the Operations Division of the largest law enforcement agency in the state of Connecticut
Kenneth graduated with high honors from Biola University in La Mirada, California, with a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership. He was selected by the Biola University faculty for induction into the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society for scholarship and leadership. He has undertaken graduate studies in criminal justice at Boston University. Kenneth is a graduate of the California Command College, was selected as class valedictorian, and subsequently appointed to the POST advisory committee for Command College. He is also a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police.
