FARGO, N.D. – The Fargo City Commission unanimously voted to appoint 25-year Fargo Police Department veteran Travis Stefonowicz as police chief.
“It is an honor to serve as chief of police in the city I call home,” Stefonowicz said in a city press release. “The Fargo Police Department is filled with dedicated professionals who care deeply about this community. My focus will be on supporting our team, strengthening our relationships with residents and the community and ensuring we maintain the high standard of safety and service Fargo expects and deserves.”
Stefonowicz will be sworn in on May 27 during Police Academy graduation.
Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney shared he was impressed how Stefonowicz explained himself during his public interview.
“You saw someone put out there what he’s planning on doing and his heart is in it as well as not having all of the solutions, but looking for them and listening to people and working with teams to try and find out those answers,” Mahoney explained.
City Commissioner John Strand said he learned from the five members of the Police Department on the Police Chief Selection Committee that chiefs typically last three to five years.
“Chief Stefonowicz, when he indicated he’s giving us a commitment of 20 more years, I’m on board,” Strand said.
City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn asked City Administrator Michael Redlinger if the public had an adequate opportunity to be part of the police chief hiring process.
Redlinger replied they didn’t have an opportunity to have a public forum due to the condensed schedule the City Commission approved last month.
In a 3-2 vote, with Piepkorn and Strand voting against it, the commission approved posting the police position on April 14 with interviews happening May 5 and 6 and a chief being named May 11 if was an internal candidate.
“We accommodated as best we could given the limited time with this schedule. To be able to turn that as quickly as we did, I have to say thanks to the [human resources] team,” Redlinger said.
Stefonowicz was named the only finalist for the police chief position on May 4.
Four applications were received during the city’s nationwide search. Three finalists were from out-of-state, with the fourth being from in-state. The City of Fargo said two of the finalist candidates chose not to move forward with the finalist phase of the selection process and withdrew their applications.
