Apr. 24—DIXON — Dixon Police Chief Steve Howell will retire May 9, 2025, after serving about 26 years on the force.
Dixon City Manager Danny Langloss made the announcement at Monday’s Dixon City Council meeting. Howell turned in his letter of retirement about a month ago.
Until a new police chief is selected, Deputy Chief Doug Lehman will become interim police chief, Langloss said.
The selection process for a new chief will begin in late May. At this time, Langloss said, the city is looking only at internal candidates, and four have applied.
“A good mix of a committee has been established” for the selection process and it will be led by Jon Mandrell, vice president of academics and student services at Sauk Valley Community College, Langloss said.
Mandrell is a former police officer who served on the Polo and Oregon police departments during his career before he switched to education.
At Monday’s meeting, members of the council congratulated Howell on his retirement and thanked Lehman for filling his spot.
“Thank you to Chief Howell on the job he’s done for us as chief and Doug Lehman for stepping in and being the chief. … I think that’s another guy [Lehman] who’s going to do a nice job for us,” council member Chris Bishop said.
“I want to congratulate Steve on his much-deserved upcoming retirement and I look forward to continuing the legacy that we have with the Dixon Police Department,” council member Mary Oros said.
Howell was appointed chief in November 2017. He started at the Dixon Police Department in 1999 as a patrol officer, then served as a school resource officer for about two years, then as a detective, was promoted to sergeant in 2008 and became the detective sergeant in 2015 leading all major investigations, according to dixongov.com.
Lehman was promoted to deputy chief of police patrol and operations in September 2022. He started his career at the Boone County Sheriff’s Department in 1995 as a patrol deputy before joining the Dixon department in 1999, like Howell, as a patrol officer. In 2004, Lehman became the designated officer in charge for the patrol division and was promoted to patrol sergeant in 2014, according to dixongov.com.