Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset will retire from the department at the end of December after 11 years of service.
Nasset made the announcement that he had taken a new job in security in the private sector during the Dec. 18 Kalispell City Council meeting. Nasset will step down on Dec. 28 and administrative captain Wade Rademacher will become interim chief until a replacement is found.
Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson said he expects the city to begin the search for a new chief in January.
Nasset said he wasn’t looking to leave the department but that he had recently gotten a job offer that he could not refuse. Nasset had spent two years with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office in the early 1990s before coming to the Kalispell Police Department. He’s been with the department for 24 years, including 11 years as chief. Nasset became chief in 2006 when the previous chief, Frank Garner, retired.
“I’ve been so blessed,” Nasset said. “This isn’t like leaving a job, it’s like leaving a family.”
Nasset said he hopes the next chief of police comes from within the department and he believes there are multiple qualified candidates. He said he is proud of the department’s focus on building relationships within the community and that he hopes that trend continues into the future.
Johnson said Nasset would be sorely missed but that everyone on the city council is exciting for the outgoing chief.
“Roger has been a great chief and it’s been great working with him the last few years,” Johnson said. “We wish him the best.”