Eagle police chief one of three finalists for a similar job in Juneau, Alaska

Eagle Police Chief Derrick Bos is one of three finalists for the top police department job in Juneau, Alaska.

Bos started work in Eagle on Dec. 12, 2022. His previous job was as the chief in Brush, a farming community on Colorado’s eastern plains. Before that, Bos was with the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.

In Brush, Bos was the subject of controversy due to a case involving the arrest and prosecution of two Brush School District administrators who were charged with multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

The other finalists for the Juneau job are Krag Campbell, currently a member of the Juneau department, and Joshua Kingsbury, a former captain with the Bernalillo Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico.

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly as of Friday had not announced a hiring decision.

Support Local Journalism

Donate

Eagle Mayor Scott Turnipseed said “that would be tough” if Bos leaves. Bos, he added, “is a good man. I don’t wish ill on him, but I hope he doesn’t get (the Juneau job).”

Eagle Town Council member Mikel “Pappy” Kerst said the town “looked far and wide” after the 2022 retirement of former Police Chief Joe Staufer.

A lot of the selection process comes to where a candidate wants to live and, of course, the pay.

“I can’t blame him, you want to better yourself,” Kerst said.

But the news Friday came as a surprise to council members, prompting Town Manager Larry Pardee to send a quick email.

Kerst said he wished Bos had told the council, something he could do by asking for an executive session. Those sessions are limited in scope to legal and personnel matters.

Kerst said if Bos leaves, “He will be missed and missed dearly.”

Pardee said someone from Juneau’s human resource department called him to talk about Bos.

“I had nothing but the greatest things to say about our chief,” Pardee said, citing Bos’s professionalism and “sense of calm.” If Bos leaves, “It will be a big loss for the community … if he’s selected, we’ll miss him.”

Pardee is also relatively new to his job in Eagle. In fact, he said, he hired Bos in his first week on the job.

If Bos leaves, “my hunch is it’s going to take some time” to replace him, Pardee said. For the search to replace Staufer, the town hired a professional recruitment company.

“You have to cast a wide net,” he added.

If another search is launched, town officials will want to find a candidate who brings the same calmness, maturity and knowledge base to the job.

Bos has “helped move the police department forward,” Pardee said.

Turnipseed said if Bos leaves, “We’ll march on, like always.”

Editor’s note: Bos did not respond to an email from the Vail Daily seeking comment on this story.