Salisbury Chief of Police finalists announced

September 14, 2023

Sarah Ash,

SALISBURY, Md. – The City of Salisbury has announced the four finalists for Police Chief.

Officials say they used Strategic Government Resources (SGR) to assist in conducting the national search that brought in 29 applications from candidates in 15 states.

The finalists are as follows:

David Meienschein began his public safety career in 1987 as a Police Officer and K-9 Handler with the Salisbury Police Department. He has been promoted through the ranks and has been serving as Acting Chief of Police since June 2023. He has held many administrative and operational positions within the police department, focusing on Community Oriented Policing, crime reduction, and police-community relations.
Howard Drewer currently serves as the Operations Commander for the Salisbury Police Department, where he has worked for the past 25 years. His responsibilities include supervising four patrol shifts, developing crime reduction strategies, coordinating with private, civic, and governmental organizations to promote safety, and managing critical incidents.
William Riley is currently the Security Supervisor for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science of William and Mary, where he has served since 2022. He previously served in local government public safety as Chief of Police for the Inkster, Michigan Police Department for seven years and Chief of the Selma, Alabama Police Department for seven years. He began his local law enforcement career in Newport News, Virginia, moving up the ranks from Patrol Officer to Detective, Sergeant, and Lieutenant, and retired from the agency as Captain of the Criminal Investigations Unit.
Matthew Davis is the First Deputy Director in the Illinois State Police Officer of the Director, where he has served since 2019 and has been accountable for more than 1,800 sworn officers and 950 civilian employees, delivering public safety services to Illinois communities. Before this, he spent almost two decades in the Department’s Division of Forensic Services as Assistant Deputy Director, Commander, Chief of Staff, Field Supervisor Crime Scene Investigator. He has also served as Assistant Deputy Director for the Illinois State Police.

The City is conducting onsite interviews Thursday and Friday, which will include community tours, a panel interview with the Citizen Police Chief Search Committee, a public and a Departmental Meet & Greet, and a final interview with the Mayor and City Administration panel.