Finalists, Process for Police Chief Search Released
The city has named the four finalists contending to be East Lansing’s next police chief.
In a press release issued Wednesday, April 23, the city announced current Interim Police Chief Jen Brown, Earl Morrison, Nathaniel Clark and Shane Ginnan are finalists.
A schedule for the search process shows that the city plans to have a public engagement event Wednesday, April 30. The next day, May 1, the city will hold panel interviews to select a top candidate. Friday, May 2, the city is slated to extend an offer, with hopes that the new chief will take over by June 2.
Each of the four finalists has previous experience leading a police department.
Meet the finalists.
Jen Brown
Current Interim East Lansing Police Chief Jen Brown has been in the role since the start of December 2024. Prior to that, she spent a year serving as a deputy police chief for ELPD. Before joining the city’s police department, Brown spent 15 years with the Michigan State University police department and another 10 years in private industry. Brown has bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and psychology, and a master’s degree in criminal justice.
Read Brown’s full bio on the city’s website.
Nathaniel Clark
Nathaniel Clark has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement, public administration and city management. Clark served as the chief of police in two different Arkansas cities, Pine-Bluff and Fort Smith. Clark has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, master’s in public administration and paralegal studies certificate.
Read Clark’s full bio on the city’s website.
Shane Ginnan
Shane Ginnan has more than 25 years of law enforcement experience in Central Indiana. He has served in a wide range of roles, from patrol officer to chief of police. Ginnan graduated from the FBI National Academy and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Recently, he has worked as lead armorer at the Los Alamos National Laboratories.
Read Ginnan’s full bio on the city’s website.
Earl Morrison
Earl Morrison has 29 years of law enforcement experience. He has served as chief of police in two different Texas cities, Snyder and Hutto. Additionally, Morrison founded a leadership development company that provides training and mentorship. Morrison has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminal justice, along with three law enforcement-related certifications.
Read Morrison’s full bio on the city’s website.
The search process is heating up.
Candidates will have several opportunities to stand out during the interview process, which concludes next week.
Yesterday, Thursday April 24, candidates went through subject matter expert interviews. City Manager Robert Belleman explained Baker Tilly, the firm East Lansing hired to lead the search, is bringing in former police chiefs to interview the candidates, giving Belleman a basis to evaluate them on.
Wednesday, April 30, community members are invited to a community engagement event, held on the second floor of the Hannah Community Center from 5:30-7 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with candidates, and submit their impressions through a survey.
Thursday, May 1, candidates will go through panel interviews. Belleman explained there are four different panels who will interview candidates. The panels will consist of City Council members, city board and commission members, ELPD employees and city department heads.
Belleman added that so far, three members of City Council have expressed interest in participating in the panel interview. If all three end up taking part, council would have a quorum and the meeting would have to be public. However, if only two members participate, the interview could remain private.
Friday, May 2, the city is scheduled to extend an offer to a candidate, with hopes they are able to start by June 2.
Belleman explained that he will select a preferred candidate, and then ask City Council members if they object to his pick. The city charter stipulates that the city manager selects the police chief, with consultation from City Council.