The City of Bellevue selected an Iowa State Patrol captain as its next chief of police.

Kenneth Clary will take over as chief in September, City Administrative Jim Ristow announced. He will take over from interim Police Chief Tom Dargy, who has served in the role since January when Mark Elbert stepped down to become the city’s community development director.

Clary has more than 25 years of experience with the Iowa State Patrol, where he has worked since 1994. He has been an area commander (captain) for the past five years. Prior to that, he’s served in a variety of roles, including district commander, statewide tactical commander, assistant operations commander, professional standards bureau and CALEA accreditation coordinator.

Clary holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Upper Iowa University and is a Ph.D. candidate in criminology and criminal justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha.  He has been a Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholar for the National Institute of Justice from 2016 through 2019. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy, completed the International Association of Chiefs of Police– Leadership in Police Organizations training and Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.

Additionally, Clary is an executive fellow for the National Police Foundation and board co-chair for the IACP – Police Research Advancement Section. He was inducted into the Center for Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame in 2019 for his Fatality Reduction Enforcement Effort strategy to reduce fatal vehicle crashes on rural roads, which focuses on communities with a lot of crashes within 3 miles of their borders.

“Law enforcement throughout the world owe it to the public they serve to ensure that every dollar allocated to public safety is used in the most effective and efficient manner possible,” Clary said in a statement about his induction to the hall of fame. “Evidence-based policing is law enforcement’s way to ensure this happens.

Ristow selected Clary from a field of 20 candidates. Two other finalists were Omaha Police Department Deputy Chief Gregory Gonzalez and Kansas City Police Department Maj. Gregory Volker.

“Chief Clary will prove to be a valuable asset to Bellevue as he brings a great deal of experience in law enforcement and community service to the city,” Ristow said in a statement. “As someone who values trust and accountability, he will do a great job with moving the department forward.”