West Des Moines’ police chief is retiring within the next six months.
The city announced Chris Scott’s planned retirement for March 2, 2026, at 55 years old. Scott started his career as a police officer in 1998 in Indianola. He then worked for the Des Moines Police Department from 2001 to 2017, when he accepted the position of chief in West Des Moines.
“Serving as top cop for the West Des Moines Police Department is certainly the pinnacle of his career,” according to the news release issued Thursday, Sept. 11.
In Des Moines, Scott served as former Chief Dana Wingert’s executive officer and he was the commander of the vice and narcotics department.
Scott also served as chair of the Iowa Police Chief’s Line of Duty Death Committee that responds to officers’ line of duty deaths around the state. And he was chair of the Executive Peer Support with the Iowa chapter of the FBI National Academy Association.
“After 28 years of dedicated public service, he is looking forward to the next chapter in his life exploring new opportunities and spending time with his family. The West Des Moines Police Department and the City of West Des Moines thank Chief Scott for his exceptional leadership, not only for the police department but also within the community,” the release said.
West Des Moines’ Civil Service Commission must approve city administrators’ plan to announce the opening of the police chief position. The commission is scheduled to meet Sept. 25.
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. Find out more about him online in the Register’s staff directory.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: West Des Moines Police Department chief of 8 years announces retirement
Reporting by Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
