The Sedalia City Council met in closed session to appoint a new chief of police on Monday, April 16.
According to a news release, Mayor John Kehde announced the appointment of Commander Matthew Wirt as Sedalia Police Chief, whose promotion comes after serving the department for almost 20 years. The Police Personnel Board unanimously recommended to the Mayor and Council to appoint him to the position.
Wirt earned several honors from the department throughout his career including being named Officer of the Year twice. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2005, assigned to Detective Sergeant in 2009 and to Commander in 2011.
Wirt graduated from the National Police Institute police academy from Central Missouri State University in 1999, as well as earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. Wirt also went on to graduate from the School of Police Staff and Command in 2009 from Northwestern University Center for Public Safety.
Commander Wirt is scheduled to begin his new role as Chief of Police on April 27, 2018.