Roy Eckerdt

After leading Powell’s Police Department for the past 12 years, Chief Roy Eckerdt will retire at the end of the month.

Eckerdt’s leaving to take on a new role with the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police that will help coordinate mental health and prevention efforts among law enforcement.

“It feels right,” Eckerdt said of taking the new job, “but I’ve truly appreciated the opportunity to serve the Powell community. Powell is a fantastic place to be.”

He specifically mentioned the relationship the police department enjoys with the community, saying that “not all agencies are as fortunate as we are.”

Eckerdt joined the department in 2003 and was quickly promoted to sergeant. He was tabbed to succeed former Chief Tim Feathers in December 2011. 

Between his service in Powell and elsewhere, he’s spent over 36 years in law enforcement — and he’s been thinking about retirement for awhile. It’s good for an agency to get a fresh perspective from time to time, he added.

“We’re very fortunate in that we have a solid staff,” Eckerdt said of the department. “We have leadership in place.”

Another veteran Powell officer, Lt. Matt McCaslin, will serve as the interim chief when Eckerdt departs on Dec. 26.

Officers in the department will be welcome to apply for the chief’s position, but City Administrator Zack Thorington said he also wants to retain an outside firm to help search for candidates. The city typically hires department heads without any outside help, but in the case of a police chief, “I think it’s a little bit bigger,” Thorington said. He indicated that he’ll ask the council to hire KRW Associates. It’s a Colorado-based firm that has assisted many municipalities — including the City of Cody — find and vet candidates for leadership positions.

At Monday night’s council meeting, Thorington said councilors will be able to provide input on the hiring process, including on what qualities they want to see in the next chief. 

Switching leaders is “a major transition,” Thorington said, adding that the department’s longtime Communications Supervisor Bobbie Colvin, is also nearing retirement.

“We’ve got some changes to [the police department] coming,” he said.

Thorington said he’d previously been warned that retirements and departures come in waves. That was on full display Monday, as the council also said goodbye to longtime City Attorney Sandee Kitchen and longtime Deputy City Attorney Scott Kath, who are leaving their roles. They’ll be replaced by two colleagues at Copenhaver, Kitchen & Kolpitcke: Scott Kolpitcke and Alexa Rolin. More details will follow in a future story.

As for the chief search, Thorington said he hopes to have the position filled by the end of February.