Merrick County sheriff to become police chief

The City of David City has hired a new police chief: Anthony McPhillips of Central City.

McPhillips, 55, will begin work Aug. 1 and will fill the job left vacant by the resignation last November of former Chief Steve Sunday.

A native Nebraskan, McPhillips has more than 34 years of experience in law enforcement and received a bachelors degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

McPhillips he has served as Merrick County sheriff for 14 years but was defeated in the May primary. As sheriff he was administrator of the Merrick County Sheriff's Office, Jail, County Communications Center and the Emergency Management Agency. McPhillips also served in the Army and enlisted Army National Guard, serving for 24 years and retiring as Master Sergeant in 2004.

Mayor Dana Trowbridge said he appreciated McPhillips' experience.

"It was evident that Mr. McPhillips is a skilled leader that will be able to move the Police Department into the future" Trowbridge said.

The appointment by Trowbridge was unanimously approved by the City Council of David City during an emergency meeting Wednesday night.

Trowbridge also thanked Butler County, and the Butler County Sheriff's Department, particularly Sheriff Mark Hecker, for the cooperation and added responsibilities that Hecker took on during the seven month search for a new Chief of Police for David City. Hecker provided patrols for the city for several months for no charge. Since May, the police officers have been headquartered with the sheriff's office while they took primary responsibility for enforcement of city codes, ordinances and traffic laws.

The City Council also approved plans for renovations to the west end of city hall for the future police station. The station on Third Street was sold for use as office space to Henningsen Foods last fall. The city will be taking steps to turn the building over to Henningsens in the coming months.

In February, the city's voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of keeping the police department intact. The City Council had considered whether the department should continue or if the city should contract with the sheriff's department for services.