St. George City Council Appointed Veteran Officer
Kyle Whitehead, to be City’s 29th Chief of Police
By David Cordero
GEORGE— The St. George City Council appointed Kyle Whitehead to be the City’s 29th Chief of Police during Thursday’s meeting at City Hall. Whitehead had served as Interim Chief of Police following the retirement of previous Chief Rich Farnsworth earlier this year. Whitehead was Deputy Chief of Police for the 17 months prior.
“I’m excited to meet the challenge head-on,” Whitehead said. “We live in a great community that supports our police and we will continue to nurture that great relationship. I am blessed to have served with great officers along the way, including previous chiefs Farnsworth and Marlon Stratton. They laid a great foundation upon which we will continue to build.”
Whitehead was hired in 1999 as a full-time officer in the St. George Police Department. Early in his career he was a member of the SWAT team, becoming an assistant team leader, team leader and SWAT team commander. He also taught defense and tactics at the Police Academy and to St. George Police officers.
His leadership abilities were soon recognized. In 2005, he was promoted to Sergeant, then Lieutenant (2007) and Captain (2011) before he was appointed Deputy Chief of Police in 2018.
A lifelong resident of the St. George area, Whitehead is married to his wife Misty. They are the parents of three girls.
“Chief Whitehead will do a great job in this role,” said Mayor Jon Pike. “He leads a police department that we take a lot of pride in. Our officers conduct themselves in a professional and exemplary manner and I have every confidence that Chief Whitehead will continue to move us forward in this regard.”
Whitehead announced that Thad Feltner will serve as the Deputy Chief of Police. Feltner was previously a captain in charge of the investigations division. Taking Feltner’s spot is Jordan Minnick, who joins captains Curtis Spragg (special enforcement), Michael Giles (administration) and Jeffrey Bahlmann (patrol) on the SGPD command staff.
“Chief Whitehead will keep us moving in the right direction, adapting and innovating to meet the needs of our city,” added City Manager Adam Lenhard. “He understands the importance of community policing and how effective it is in keeping St. George safe.”
