Webster Groves residents are invited to meet and hear from the four finalists for the city’s next police chief at a meet-and-greet event on Tuesday, April 23, 5 to 7 p.m., at Webster Groves City Hall, 4 E. Lockwood Ave.
The finalists are Vincent Acevez, Philip Lukens, Gregory Perks and Nathaniel Thompson.
Perks, a longtime employee of the Webster Groves Police Department, has been serving as Webster’s acting police chief since the retirement of Chief Dale Curtis in December 2023.
According to Assistant City Manager Eric Peterson, the other candidates are serving or have most recently served in the following roles:
• Acevez, deputy director of Emergency Management and Regional Security in Cook County, Illinois;
• Lukens, police chief in Alliance, Nebraska;
• Thompson, lieutenant patrol in Lancaster, Texas.
Finalists will be in Webster Groves April 22-23 to interview with various panels representing community members, employees and city leaders, as well as take part in the April 23 meet-and-greet event at city hall.
The public will be able to meet and hear from the finalists, and submit comments to city leaders about the finalists. The schedule is as follows:
• 5 to 5:30 p.m. — Meet and mingle with light refreshments;
• 5:30 to 5:40 p.m. — Welcome from City Manager Marie Peoples;
• 5:40 to 6:30 p.m. — Presentations from police chief finalists;
• 6:30 to 7 p.m. — Meet and mingle, plus time to submit comment cards;
For those unable to attend, the presentations will be recorded and made available on the city’s YouTube channel following the event.
“I am eager to see a strong showing of our community at this forum, and encourage everyone to meet the police chief finalists,” said City Manager Marie Peoples. “This forum provides an avenue for residents to interact directly with the finalist and to provide valuable input as we finalize the selection process.”
