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Open forums set in selection process for new FGCU police chief

A shots fired alert issued by FGCU Campus polcie Wednesday morning was issued, campus police said, due to the proximity to the West Lake Village Campus housing.
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FGCU is in the process of selection a new chief for the University Police Department.

Open forums will be held next week for the top three candidates for chief of the University Police Department at FGCU.

James Slapp, the UPD's current chief, will be retiring in May after a 45-year career in law enforcement.

Slapp, a 16-year veteran of the UPD, became department police chief in April 2022 after serving 14 years as a captain/assistant director and a lieutenant. He with the Naples Police Department in various capacities for 22 years, retiring in December 2007 as deputy chief.

The three candidates to replace Slapp include:

  • David Newlan, former Cape Coral Police Chief and current Executive Director for Safety, Security, and Emergency Management for the School District of Lee County;
  • Christopher John Woehr, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Miami Regional Operations Center, Florida Department Of Law Enforcement;
  • Craig W. Kowalski, chief, Special Investigative Unit, Broward County Public Schools Police, Broward County Public Schools.

The forums will be:
Newlan, Feb. 26, 1:45 to 3:15 p.m.; Woehr, Feb. 27, 10:30 a.m. to noon; and Kowalski, Feb. 28, 10:30 a.m. to noon. All forums will be in the Cohen Student Union, with Newlan in the Balloom and Woehr and Kowalski in Room 247.

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