The City of Irving has announced six final candidates for the Chief of Police position after considering over 30 well qualified individuals. The public is invited to meet the Police Chief candidates at a community open house on Monday, April 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, 500 W. Las Colinas Blvd., fourth floor reception area.
Irving Chief of Police finalists include:
- Samuel Hall, Assistant Chief, Irving Police Department, Irving, TX
- Derick Miller, Chief of Police, Carrollton Police Department, Carrollton, TX
- Jarad Phelps, Deputy Chief of Police, Prince William County Police Department, Woodbridge, VA
- Brian Redburn, Assistant Chief, Irving Police Department, Irving, TX
- Doug Shoemaker, Chief of Police, Grand Junction Police Department, Grand Junction, CO
- Darren Steele, Interim Chief of Police, Irving Police Department, Irving, TX
“Each of these finalists is well-qualified to take on the role of Chief of Police for the City of Irving,” said City Manager Chris Hillman. “I am confident that one of them will be able to lead the department as they continue the excellent work that the Irving Police Department does for our community.”
The city worked with Public Sector Search & Consulting to recruit the next Irving Chief of Police upon Chief Jeff Spivey’s retirement at the end of January. The firm began the recruitment process in mid-January and met with numerous internal and external candidates.
Assistant Chief Samuel Hall, Irving Police Department
Assistant Chief Samuel Hall began his career with the Irving Police Department in 1991 as a detention officer. He became a police officer in 1997 and graduated as valedictorian of his police academy class. He promoted to sergeant in 2009, lieutenant in 2011, captain in 2014, and assistant chief in 2019.
He has served in the Patrol, Special Operations, Personnel, Community Services, and Technical Services Divisions. Assistant Chief Hall holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Thomas Edison State University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, PERF’s Senior Management Institute for Police, and the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration’s School of Executive Leadership.
Assistant Chief Hall is a member of the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINA), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the North Texas Police Chiefs Association (NTPCA). Assistant Chief Hall has been involved in Irving Police Athletic League (PAL), Special Olympics and the American Cancer Society.
Chief Derick Miller, Carrollton Police Department
Carrollton Police Chief Derick Miller is the ninth chief in the department’s 75-year history, and the first to begin his career wearing a Carrollton Police Department uniform.
A native of Benbrook, Chief Miller joined the Carrollton Police Department in 1992 as a reserve officer. Since then, he has worked his way up through every rank in the organization and was appointed police chief in 2017. Chief Miller’s main interests are contemporary policing issues, professional policing approaches, and community engagement.
He holds both an M.A. and B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Senior Management Institute of Policing, the Institute of Law Enforcement Administration, and holds a Master Peace Officer’s Certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
Chief Miller is an Adjunct Professor of Criminology at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is the President of the DFW Major City Police Chief’s Association, the First Vice President of the North Texas Police Chief’s Association, an Executive Advisory Board Member of the Caruth Police Institute at UNT Dallas, and a member of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Executive Advisory Board for North Texas. Chief Miller is also an active member of the FBI National Academy Associates, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
Deputy Chief Jarad Phelps, Prince William County Police Department
Deputy Chief Phelps has 25 years of experience with the Prince William County Police Department in Virginia. The Deputy Chief of Police is the second highest commanding officer of the 900-person Department and assists the Chief of Police in providing efficient and effective police services to the residents and visitors of Prince William County. Deputy Chief Phelps served as the department’s Acting Chief of Police for 10 months, guiding the department through the national conversation of social justice and police reform, historic and unprecedented levels of civil unrest during the global pandemic and worked tirelessly to improve community relationships. Deputy Chief Phelps takes an evidence-based approach to fighting crime.
He holds a Master of Public Administration from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from James Madison University. DC Phelps is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the FBI National Executive Institute and PERF’s Senior Management Institute for Policing. He serves as a guest Instructor at the FBI National Academy.
Deputy Chief Phelps is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police (VACP), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA) and is an At-Large Board Member of the Virginia Chapter of FBI National Academy Associates.
Assistant Chief Brian Redburn, Irving Police Department, TX
Assistant Chief Brian Redburn is a police executive with experience leading all major functions in the Irving Police Department. Redburn has served in various supervisory and command capacities throughout the organization, including Patrol, Personnel, Internal Affairs, and Special Operations. He has been an Assistant Chief of Police since 2015.
Redburn started his police career with Irving as a patrol officer in December 1996. Before joining the police department, he was a probation officer at the Florida Department of Corrections and, later, at the Dallas County Community Supervision and Corrections Department.
Redburn is an attorney licensed to practice law by the State Bar of Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and Political Science from Florida State University in Tallahassee. In 2013, he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now Texas A&M School of Law), where he served as a staff member on the school's flagship journal, the "Texas Wesleyan Law Review." In addition, Redburn is a graduate of the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration's 51st School of Executive Leadership and PERF's Senior Management Institute for Police.
Redburn is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), North Texas Police Chiefs Association, and the State Bar of Texas. In 2021, Redburn was recognized as the 2020 Public Servant of the Year, Keep Irving Beautiful. In 2019, he received the 2019 North Texas CIT Award, National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Chief Doug Shoemaker, Grand Junction (CO) Police Department
Chief Shoemaker was appointed in 2018 as Police Chief in Grand Junction, Colorado, with a mission to foster community partnerships and build a progressive policing agency while focusing on officer development, resiliency, and wellness. Chief Shoemaker came to the Grand Junction Colorado Police Department in 2018 after 27 years of service with the Jefferson City Missouri Police Department in Missouri, where he was promoted through the ranks to police captain.
He holds a B.A in English Literature from the University of Missouri-Columbia, an M.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Missouri, and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University in Delaware. His research led to a $500,000 state grant to set up Jefferson City's first youth diversion program coordinated between law enforcement, juvenile justice services, and the Boys and Girls Club.
Chief Shoemaker is also a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command. He was recently elected as the 5th Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and will assume the presidency in 2026.
Chief Shoemaker is a member of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, and the Police Executives Research Forum.
Interim Chief (Assistant Chief) Darren Steele, Irving Police Department, TX
Darren Steele is currently serving as the interim police chief of the Irving Police Department and is responsible for the administration, command, and efficient operation of the department. Interim Chief Steele joined the Irving Police Department in February 1999 after serving five years with the Carrollton Police Department. He was promoted to sergeant in 2004, to lieutenant in 2007, to captain in 2012 and was selected as an assistant chief in March of 2017. He has served in a wide variety of assignments, including Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Community Services, Personnel and Internal Affairs Divisions.
Interim Chief Steele holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Political Science from Texas Tech University. He is also a graduate of PERF’s Senior Management Institute for Police and the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration’s 51st School of Executive Leadership.
