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West Des Moines Chief of Police, Chris Scott, has announced his retirement date for March 2^nd, 2026.  The early announcement will allow the City of West Des Moines an opportunity to conduct a search for his replacement. 

Chief Scott started his career in 1998 as a Police Officer for the Indianola Police Department.  In 2001 he was hired by the City of Des Moines Police Department where he served until 2017 when he accepted the position as Chief of Police for the City of West Des Moines.

During his career he has had numerous assignments to include: Patrol Officer, D.A.R.E. Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, School Resource Officer, a tactical operator on Metro S.T.A.R, and Public Information Officer.

In Des Moines he was promoted to Sergeant and Lieutenant.  He served as Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert’s Executive Officer and was the Commander of Vice and Narcotics before leaving to West Des Moines.

He graduated Drake University with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration in 2009.  He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Class of 261 (2015), International Association of Chief of Police Leadership in Police Organizations (2016), and the Senior Management Institute for Police (2018).

Chief Scott served as the Chair of the Iowa Police Chief’s Line of Duty Death committee responding to officers killed in the line of duty around the State.  He also served as the Chair of the Executive Peer Support with the Iowa Chapter of the FBI National Academy Association.

Chief Scott is honored to have served three exceptional communities representing nearly 300,000 residents in central Iowa.  He is proud of the men and women which he served side by side and has led.  Their professionalism and commitment to our communities are exceptional.  Serving as top cop for the West Des Moines Police Department is certainly the pinnacle of his career.

After 28 years of dedicated public service, he is looking forward to the next chapter in his life exploring new opportunities and spending time with his family. The West Des Moines Police Department and the City of West Des Moines thank Chief Scott for his exceptional leadership, not only for the police department but also within the community.

City administrators plan to announce a position opening for Chief of Police when approved by the Civil Service Commission. The Commission is scheduled to meet September 25, 2025.