Meet the final 4 candidates for Naples police chief
Naples city officials have narrowed the initial 175 Naples police chief applicants to four – with two having ties to the department.
The position became available after former Naples Police Chief Tom Weschler stepped down in June. The city has been searching for a new police chief since.
The four remaining candidates, Ciro Dominguez, Matthew Fletcher, Jack McNiff, and Kristen Ziman, will attend a meet and greet hosted by city officials at Baker Park on Friday.
More: City officials narrow down candidates for Naples police chief
Kristen Ziman
Ziman was the police chief for the Aurora Police Department in Illinois for five years before leaving to serve as a consultant for the Department of Justice. She's been involved with the Aurora Police Department since 1991.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Ziman to investigate the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Ziman is also a consultant, public speaker, trainer, and author.
"My specialization in Homeland Security will allow me to embrace technology as a crime-fighting [and] solving tool," Ziman wrote in her application for Naples police chief. "My dedication to the citizens I serve has been based on mutual trust and I want to continue that service at NPD."
You can read Ziman's full biography provided by the city of Naples here.
John "Jack" McNiff
McNiff serves as the chief of police at the Wayne Township in New Jersey, where he's worked since 2001. As chief, he managesa multi-million dollar budget and serves more than 56,000 residents.
McNiff's resume is lined with awards and certificates ranging from life saving to drug and defensive tactics trainings. He describes himself as a "highly trained threat manager with a background in safety risks, hostage negotiation, and crisis intervention."
He has 27 years in law enforcement between the Wayne Township Police Department and the West Caldwell Police Department, in New Jersey.
You can read McNiff's full biography provided by the city of Naples here.
Matthew Fletcher
Fletcher serves as the interim chief of police at the Naples Police Department, where he's worked since 1990. He's been the assistant chief of police since 2020.
Fletcher's entire police career has unfolded in Naples. He started as a police officer in 1990 and worked his way up to assistant chief.
During Hurricane Ian last year, Fletcher led police operations.
You can read Fletcher's full biography provided by the city of Naples here.
Ciro Dominguez
Dominguez served as a colonel at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office based in Tampa, for seven years before retiring. Before he was a colonel, Dominguez served 10 years as the deputy chief of police for the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority at the Tampa International Airport.
Dominguez has a Naples tie as well, with 10 years as a police sergeant with the local department.
Dominguez has 38 years of law enforcement experience which he saids makes him the right fit for Naples police chief.
You can read Dominguez's full biography provided by the city of Naples here.
Meet and Greet
The four candidates will meet the public at 8:30 a.m. Friday at the Eva Sudgen-Gomez Center at Baker Park, located at 50 Riverside Circle.
Anyone can attend but city officials ask that they RSVP by 3 p.m. Wednesday by emailing Naples Public Outreach Manager Monique Barnhart. Barnhart's email is mbarnhart@naplesgov.com.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples police chief candidate field narrowed to 4
