ANKENY – The City of Ankeny has hired a new police chief.
City Manager David Jones announced Wednesday that Darius Potts has been named Chief of Police. Chief Potts will start his new role in August 2018.
“Chief Potts will be an excellent leader for the Ankeny Police Department. His leadership ability and experience will support the continuous growth and the City’s commitment to provide a safe, welcoming community for Ankeny residents,” Jones said in a statement. “He has a remarkable background in law enforcement and I am confident he will serve our community well.”
Chief Potts has 26 years of law enforcement experience, and is currently serving as a Bureau Commander in the Arizona Department of Public Safety, where he has been employed since 2015. Chief Potts served for 23 years for the City of Phoenix, Ariz., Police Department.
Chief Potts also managed the Human Resources Bureau at Arizona DPS—an agency with 2,100 employees. Earlier this year, he served a three-month stint as Interim Police Chief in El Mirage, Ariz., while temporarily on loan from the Arizona DPS.
“I believe my leadership style, law enforcement experience and commitment to improving everyone’s quality of life will serve me well as Ankeny’s next police chief,” Potts said. “My wife, Renee, was born and raised in Iowa and we both graduated from Iowa State University. We felt this was a perfect opportunity for our family to return home and serve in a growing and beautiful city like Ankeny.”
The City conducted a nationwide search for the new police chief over the last several months, engaging the International City and County Management Association’s Center for Public Safety Management to prepare a candidate profile and a series of assessments that were utilized in the recruitment process.
Chief Potts will succeed Gary Mikulec, who served 14 years as Chief of Police at the City of Ankeny and retired with a total of more than 44 years of experience in law enforcement.
