Collierville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen have interviewed five finalists for the open police chief position.

The board received 26 applications for the position. A few staff members and a consultant worked to narrow the list to the finalists interviewed last Thursday April 16 and on Tuesday. The mayor and aldermen hope to appoint a chief in May.

Collierville Police Chief David Tillner announces retirement

Former chief Dave Tillner retired in December after a third-party survey revealed low morale in the department. Collierville also struggled to recruit and retain officers. 

The five finalists interviewed have decades of experience in law enforcement — some locally, others in different jurisdictions. 

Jeff Abeln

Abeln is the town’s assistant chief of police and has 33 years with the department. He started as a patrolman and moved through the ranks working in every area of Collierville Police Department before he was named assistant chief in 2008.

“I’ve been preparing for this. … Through my entire career I’ve been preparing for it,” Abeln told the board in his interview.

He said when he was a patrolman there was a sense of “family,” and he is making conscious efforts to improve the department’s culture.

He said CPD must continue to retain and engage employees. He didn’t dodge the department’s recent struggles to recruit and retain officers.

Alderman John Worley asked each candidate how long they planned to be in the position if chosen. 

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Abeln said he wasn’t sure how long he would be with the department, but hoped if chosen, his career would last.

“I’ve really not ever given myself a time frame,” Abeln said. “I guess the way I look at it, if I feel like I am contributing and I’m being a valued member of the department, and in a leadership position, I can do my job and still have the respect of the employees.”

Alice Fulk

Fulk is an assistant chief in Little Rock, Arkansas, and a native of the area.

She has been with her department for 28 years and worked her way up to the position she holds.

“I have the ability I can leave Little Rock,” she said noting the experience she’s gained during her career.

In her position she oversees administrative operations.

She said former Little Rock Chief Kenton Buckner wanted to ensure his assistants — like her — were prepared to serve as chiefs anywhere in the country. Buckner has since become chief in Syracuse, New York.

“I am looking for a community (where) I can put my tools and experience to use,” she said.

She would like to spend at least 10 years in Collierville and retire in a place its size. Fulk was attracted to the size of the department, she told the board.

Dale Lane

Lane is chief of safety and security for Memphis Area Transit Authority. He served as an emergency preparedness consultant for MATA for three months before joining the company in February 2019.

In November 2018 he retired from Shelby County’s Office of Preparedness Homeland Security and Emergency Management after four years as director.

He ran unsuccessfully for Shelby County sheriff against Floyd Bonner in 2018.

Lane has decades of law enforcement experience and said he has worked toward his “dream job” to be a police chief. 

“I saw in this position a wonderful opportunity,” he said. “I see how the citizens of Collierville support (their) police department.”

He spent 25 years with Shelby County Sheriff’s Office before retiring in 2014. He started as a deputy before working through various divisions and ranks. He retired as the SCSO chief inspector and uniform patrol commander.

He told the board he worked with Collierville police while in the Sheriff’s Office.

He also worked for Millington police as a patrolman from 1987-89.

“I loved working in Millington. it was a great start,” he said.

He emphasized the importance of community policing.

“I want (police department employees) to be problem solvers and partnership builders,” he said. 

He also noted he would be interested in adding body cameras as a tool to help protect officers.

Throughout his interview he emphasized his faith as the most important part of his life.

Joe Oakley

Oakley has been with Memphis Police Department more than 30 years and holds the rank of colonel. He has been the precinct commander of the Mount Moriah Station since 2015.

“I love being a policeman,” he said.

He described precincts as individual cities and said the Mt. Moriah station is the size of Collierville.

“I’m ready to start a new chapter,” he said. “I think Collierville would be great.”

Oakley served as lieutenant colonel of the Ridgeway station from 2013-2015.

He’s has held the rank of patrol officer, sergeant, lieutenant and major with MPD. He has about 10 specialized training achievements, several awards and is a member of local and international police associations.

He also wants to implement body cameras if appointed as chief.

If he stays in good health, he would like to serve as Collierville’s chief for 10 years or more.

“I don’t want to retire,” he said in his interview. “I love this too much.”

E. Page Reynolds

Reynolds is currently the police chief at Southern University at Shreveport, a junior college in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Criminal justice is the “family business,” he said, noting relatives involved in the field along with law enforcement.

He started his career in New Haven, Connecticut, and retired as a lead homicide detective in 2009 after 14 years with the department.

“It was one of the most rewarding times of life,” he said. “Bringing bad guys to justice and allowing families to get justice and closure.”

He was not ready to give up law enforcement so he took a position in Wilton, Maine, as an administrator from 2009 to 2011.

He moved to Forrest City, Arkansas, and was excited about its proximity to Memphis. Reynolds spent significant time in the area during his adult life. He is an ordained minister in the Church of God in Christ, and the national headquarters are in Memphis.

After seven years in Forrest City, he retired as chief, but moved to his current job at Southern University.

“Collierville would be a wonderful fit for me at this time in my career,” he said. “I am looking to make this next stop my last stop and bring my expertise to Collierville. I believe I offer an array and vast degree of experience as much as I policed in big city law enforcement.”

He told the board he believed in community policing. If chosen as chief, he would ensure officers were visible in the community. He wanted to have an open door policy and create a “family” atmosphere in the department.

He wanted to work at least 10 years if appointed, but noted he could spend longer.