DES MOINES, Iowa — The city of Des Moines will soon welcome a new police chief for the first time in nearly a decade.
City Manager Scott Sanders will introduce the newest Des Moines Chief of Police at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The Des Moines City Council will meet at 1:30 p.m. to approve the selection.
The incoming police chief replaces Chief Dana Wingert, who has served in the role since 2015. Sanders announced Wingert's retirement back in May.
Since then, city officials have worked to find a replacement for Wingert, eventually narrowing the list down to two candidates: DMPD's Maj. Michael McTaggart and Cmd. Joshua Wallace of the Chicago Police Department.
McTaggart currently oversees the Operations Division, the largest division of the Des Moines Police Department. He began his law enforcement career with DMPD in 1999, gradually working his way up the ranks. He was promoted to his current role of major in 2022.
Wallace is a commander of the Criminal Network Group within the Chicago Police Departemnt's Bureau of Counterterrorism. Over the years, he has served multiple roles with Chicago police, including Supervising Sergeant for the Bureau of Organized Crime and district commander for the Bureau of Patrol.