New Town seeks new police chief
The City of New Town is looking for a new police chief.
The new chief will be the New Town Police Department’s third since it was reestablished two years ago. Former chief David Shawstad was released by the New Town City Council in mid-November. Mayor Dan Uran said the council didn’t have any specific reason for dismissing Shawstad, commenting that council members "just didn’t think he was the right person for the job."
"There were things that the council was concerned with," Uran said. "They just didn’t think he was the right person. There wasn’t any one specific thing."
Shawstad replaced Art Walgren, who left to become chief of the Watford City Police Department.
The council is advertising for a new police chief. It voted in a recent special meeting to have the Auditors Office go through the applications rather than the police department. Council member Jay Standish recommended that background checks on the applicants go back 10 years rather than the state mandate of seven. Standish said the NTPD could have a cross deputization agreement with the Three Affiliated Tribes someday and that would require the department to meet the 10 year federal background check standard.
