Arlington police

Arlington Chief of Police Search Narrowed to Five; Citizens Can Question Finalists at Forum

Forum to be held at Esports Stadium Oct. 29; attendees must wear a face covering and questions can be submitted online ahead of the event

five finalists headshots
NBC 5 News/City of Arlington

The city of Arlington says they've narrowed their search for a new chief of police to five finalists, including three internal candidates.

The five finalists for the Arlington police chief are Col. Alexander Jones, of the Baltimore County Police Department; Assistant Chief Jaime Ayala, of the Arlington Police Department; Cmdr. Jason Lando, of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; Assistant Chief Kevin Kolbye, of the Arlington Police Department; and Deputy Chief Tarrick McGuire, of the Arlington Police Department.

Each of the remaining candidates have taken part in face-to-face interviews including panel interviews with members of the community, a regional police chief panel, an internal employee panel and a city executive panel.

The finalists will compete in one more round of internal interviews and a community forum on Thursday, Oct. 29. The community forum, which will be held at Arlington's Esports Stadium, will be held from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will also be broadcast on U-Verse channel 99, Spectrum channel 16, 15.1 and online here. The forum will allow the candidates to respond to questions submitted by members of the community. Those attending in person will be required to wear a face covering.

Questions can be submitted prior to the event via this web form https://arlingtontx.gov/askthepolicechief 
starting at 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26 and ending at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. The community will also be able to submit questions during the event via question cards or this web form https://arlingtontx.gov/askthepolicechief.  

Below is biographical information shared on behalf of the city on each of the five finalists:

Alexander Jones: Jones has 25 years of service with the Baltimore County Police Department, currently holding the rank of colonel. As the colonel of the Community Relations Bureau, Jones oversees the Community Resource and Wellness Section, the Youth and Community Service Section, and the Employment Section. Jones has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Hartford and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Ashworth College.

Jaime Ayala: Ayala has been serving the Arlington community for 31 years in the Arlington Police Department. In 2014, Ayala reached the rank of assistant chief of the Support Operations Bureau, which oversees four policing divisions including the Central Investigations Division, Community Support Division, Technical Services Division and the Operations Support Division. Ayala has a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master’s degree in communication studies from Texas Christian University.

Kevin Kolbye: Kolbye has 37 years of combined experience in the Dallas Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Arlington Police Department. He joined Arlington in 2015 at the rank of assistant chief responsible for a range of divisions including Intelligence and Criminal Investigations, SWAT, Crime Scene, Homeland Security – Special Events and Training and Recruiting. Kolbye has a bachelor’s degree in business administration-accounting from Texas Tech University and a master’s degree in criminal justice and strategic studies from Tarleton State University. 

Jason Lando: Lando has 21 years of experience with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, where he currently serves at the rank of commander. Throughout his career, Lando served in a variety of capacities including patrol, undercover narcotics, SWAT, a crisis negotiator, and a Procedural Justice trainer. Lando has a bachelor’s degree in emergency medicine from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in legal studies from California University of Pennsylvania. 

Tarrick McGuire: McGuire has served the Arlington community for 17 years in the Arlington Police Department and currently serves in the rank of deputy chief. He served as a Law Enforcement Fellow with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) contributing to public safety research and reform on 21st Century Policing in Washington D.C. McGuire has a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in Christian leadership from Criswell College.

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