Governor Pete Ricketts announced Friday he has appointed an advisory committee, led by Omaha's police chief, to aid in the search for the next State Patrol Superintendent.
The announcement follows last week's dismissal of Col. Brad Rice as head of the Nebraska State Patrol, who was let go after concerns were raised about the patrol, including an Omaha World-Herald report on the internal investigation of a high-speed chase that lead to the death of a fleeing driver in October.
Joining Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer on the committee will be Weysan Dun, a retired FBI executive with 30 years of investigative and management experience; Deborah Gilg, a former — and the first female — U.S. Attorney for the Nebraska district, serving under former Attorney General Loretta Lynch; and Gerry Piccolo, Hall County's public defender since 1990 and past president of the state's Criminal Defense Attorney Association.
The governor will work with the committee to find candidates from a wide variety of agencies both in and out of state, and will solicit the committee's input on those candidates, according to a press release from the governor's office.
Interested applicants or questions about the process should be directed to the Governor’s Office by emailing pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or calling 402-471-2244.
