September 23, 2014
Contact: Colene McEntee, Public Affairs Coordinator, 636-949-1864, cmcentee@sccmo.org
St. Charles County, Missouri – Today, St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann announced the five members of the Chief of Police Search Committee. Pursuant to Article IV, Section 4.250.1.1 of the County Charter as approved by the voters in November 2012, the County Executive is directed to name a panel of five citizens to the Chief of Police Search Committee, naming one to serve as the chair of the Committee. Those named to the Committee are Dan Dozier, Nancy Matheny, Tom Hughes, Virginia Busch and Bryan Ludwig. As required by the Charter, each of the members of the committee is a resident of the county and a registered voter, and the appointees to the Committee represent the civic, law enforcement, business, and educational community in the county.
Dr. Daniel Dozier has deep roots in St. Charles County, having resided in the county for over 40 years. He has a special connection with the area of the county served by the Orchard Farm R-V School District, most of which is unincorporated and relies on the County for law enforcement. Dr. Dozier started his career as a teacher in that District and retired 31 years later after having served as Orchard Farm’s Superintendent of Schools from 2003-2013. A graduate of St. Charles High School, he went on to graduate from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a BS in education, from SIUE with a Masters and from St. Louis University with a Ed.D. in Education. Dr. Dozier has also served the community on the City of St. Charles Economic Development Commission from 2000-2013 and has served on other community boards, including the DDRB and the United Way Advisory Board. Dr. Dozier will serve as the Chair of the Chief of Police Search Committee.
Nancy Matheny, CPA, served on the St. Charles County Council from 2007 – 2013, serving as Vice-Chair of the Council in 2009-2011 and chairing the Council in 2012. During her time on the Council, Ms. Matheny gained a thorough understanding of the law enforcement budget and function. She is a certified public accountant specializing in business valuation and financial consulting, and is a principal and shareholder in Klaris Thomson & Schroeder, Inc., a financial services company. Ms. Matheny has also taught business courses at Lindenwood University and served as Dean of the Business School. Ms. Matheny and her husband raised their family in St. Charles County, where they continue to reside.
Tom Hughes, C.E.O. of T.R. Hughes Homes in St. Charles County, started his homebuilding company in the early 1990s. He is a former St. Charles City police officer and then Sergeant with just over 20 years on the police force. Mr. Hughes has lived in St. Charles County over 35 years and is well-known in the law enforcement community for his support of police causes. He has been the recipient of numerous business and civic awards including the March of Dimes “Building the Community” award, and is known throughout the county for his philanthropy. Mr. Hughes has been a benefactor of the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County, Youth In Need, and numerous other charitable activities. Mr. Hughes resides in St. Charles County with his wife and daughter.
Virginia Busch is a 1989 graduate of Washington University School of Law who established her law practice in St. Charles County approximately 25 years ago. She is a well-respected attorney with a concentration in family law and personal injury. Her practice has brought her into contact with a variety of law enforcement issues encountered by County law enforcement. Mrs. Busch is also a family law mediator and serves as a Guardian Ad Litem. Mrs. Busch resides in the unincorporated area of the county. She has received many awards for her community involvement and charitable activities, including the Guardian Angel Award from the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery for her work and dedication toward the goal of child protection.
Captain Bryan Ludwig is a 16 year resident of unincorporated St. Charles County with 18 years of experience in law enforcement. Captain Ludwig holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Truman State University. Since his promotion to Captain in February 2014 he has served as the Commander for the Bureau of Patrol Support for the St. Louis County Police Department. Prior to that promotion Captain Ludwig served as the Commander of the Municipal Services Unit. Since he joined the St. Louis County Police Department in 1996, the Captain has served in numerous assignments, including patrolman, Neighborhood Policing Officer, Detective in both the Bureau of Crimes Against Property and the Computer Financial Fraud Unit, Patrol Watch Supervisor in the North County Precinct, Background Investigations Supervisor in the Bureau of Professional Responsibility, and as the Basic Training Supervisor at the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy. He has also served in multi-agency task forces, including the United States Attorney’s Hate Crimes Task Force and Identity Theft Task Force.
As set forth in the Charter, the Committee will advertise the position of Chief of Police and “upon receipt of the applications from the Director of Human Resources shall review the applicants. From amongst the applicants that meet the qualifications for Chief of Police the Committee shall interview and recommend no less than five (5) qualified candidates to the County Executive for the position of Chief of Police.”
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