The town hall meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 27, has been cancelled as candidate Joshua Kingsbury has withdrawn from consideration for the position of Police Chief.

Tuesday and Thursday’s town hall meetings with candidates Derek Bos and Krag Campbell will take place as planned in the Assembly Chambers:

• Krag Campbell, Tuesday, September 26, 5:30 p.m.
• Derek Bos, Thursday, September 28, 5:30 p.m.

After each town hall meeting, the public is welcome to submit feedback on the candidate to the City Manager for consideration in the selection process.

Following a nationwide search, the City and Borough of Juneau is pleased to announce three finalists for the position of Juneau Police Department Chief. All three candidates will take part in public town halls in Juneau between September 26 and 28.

The finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Derek Bos

Mr. Bos currently serves as the Police Chief for Eagle Police Department in the Town of Eagle, Colorado, a role he has held since December 2022. Prior to this role, Mr. Bos held the position of Chief of Police for the Brush Police Department in Brush, Colorado from 2018 to 2022. Mr. Bos started his career as a sworn officer with the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office in Chaffee, Colorado, where he held a variety of roles from 2006 to 2016. Mr. Bos holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Studies with an emphasis on Criminal Justice from Dordt College.

Krag Campbell

Mr. Campbell currently serves as a Lieutenant with the Juneau Police Department, a role he has held since October 2017. Mr. Campbell started his career as a police officer at JPD in 2002 and has since been promoted through the JPD ranks to his current role. Prior to moving to Juneau, Mr. Campbell grew up in Ketchikan. He has earned his Alaska Advanced Police Certificate and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy in 2019.

Joshua Kingsbury

Mr. Kingsbury started his career as a sworn officer with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1996 and retired in 2021 as a Captain with oversight of Field Services, Criminal Investigations, and Judicial Operations/Administration. Since then, he has been employed as a Multi-Site Loss Prevention Site Lead for Amazon in Albuquerque. Mr. Kingsbury holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Western New Mexico University.

The finalists for the Police Chief were selected after initial screening by the Human Resources and Risk Management Director and interviews with the City Manager’s Office. All finalists will participate in an on-site selection process, including community town halls and meetings with JPD and CBJ staff, starting on September 26, 2023.

The public is invited to town hall meetings with each finalist in the City Hall Assembly Chambers at the following times:

• Krag Campbell, Tuesday, September 26, 5:30 p.m.
• Joshua Kingsbury, Wednesday, September 27, 5:30 p.m.
• Derek Bos, Thursday, September 28, 5:30 p.m.

After each town hall meeting, the public is welcome to submit feedback on the candidate to the City Manager for consideration in the selection process.

Juneau Chief of Police Ed Mercer has announced his retirement effective July 31, following over 30 years in law enforcement in Southeast Alaska.

“Chief Mercer is a true public servant,” said City Manager Rorie Watt. “He has always put the people of Juneau first and worked ceaselessly to build trust between the police department and the community they serve. We will miss him but wish him the very best in the next stage of his life and career.”

A lifelong Southeast Alaskan, Chief Mercer joined JPD in 2000 following eight years of service as a sworn officer in Sitka. After four years in the Patrol Division and the Drug Enforcement Unit, he quickly rose through the ranks to Patrol Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain of Operations, and Deputy Chief. He was appointed Chief of Police in July 2017. Read a full biography here..

In the six years since, Chief Mercer has led the Juneau Police Department with integrity and courage. He is committed to community policing principles and programs that foster relationships with the citizens of Juneau, continuing the annual National Night Out campaign to build police-community partnerships and reinstating a Citizens Academy program for members of the public to become more familiar with their police department.

Most recently, Chief Mercer and his team were responsible for JPD’s successful accreditation through the Oregon Accreditation Alliance after the State of Alaska’s program was discontinued. Achieving accreditation was a demanding multi-year process that was nevertheless a top priority for Chief Mercer in order to build trust, create accountability, and better serve the Juneau community.

Chief Mercer also led the way as the first Alaska Native to lead the Juneau Police Department. Chief Mercer is Tlingit, Raven Coho, and was recognized for his service to the community with the Alaska Federation of Natives 2021 Public Service President’s Award.

Juneau’s next Chief of Police will be selected through an open recruitment process that will allow participation from the public, the CBJ Assembly, and the Juneau Police Department. More information on the recruitment and selection process will be announced shortly.

Deputy Chief David Campbell will serve as interim Chief of Police. Deputy Chief Campbell is a lifelong Alaskan who has served with the Juneau Police Department since 1995. He assumed the role of Deputy Chief in 2017 and currently oversees operations for JPD.