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Janke will be officially hired at the commissions July 5 meeting when Fisk will bring forward a salary and benefit package she will prepare.

This is the right fit for the city of West Fargo to take us to the next level, and hell add to that, Fisk said.

Janke and North Dakota Highway Patrol Lt. Troy Hischer were narrowed down from 12 initial applicants, four of which were from within the department. The two finalists then each interviewed for a full day June 7 and June 8, respectively.

His 15 years with the FBI and his leadership really stood out to me, Mayor Rich Mattern said. Im hoping to get him onboard as quickly as possible.

Mattern said it was obvious Janke had researched the city and the department before his interview, which was impressive.

The city has been looking for a new police chief since the commission fired Mike Reitan on Feb. 6 after complaints surfaced that he created a hostile, toxic environment.

City Commissioner Mark Wentz, who served on a panel of city staff who interviewed the candidates, said Janke will be able to bring together a department fractured by recent events.

Itll be an adjustment for some, others will like it right away, Wentz said. Hes definitely a team player.

Janke is a North Dakota State University graduate who earned a law degree from the University of North Dakota. His wife, also an NDSU alum, has family and parents in West Fargo. Janke has worked for the FBI since 2005, and since 2013 in its Kansas City office, where he has supervised more than 400 cases.

Janke said he hoped to move to West Fargo because theres family here and a good school system.

Janke also worked for the FBI in San Antonio, Texas, and Washington, D.C. Before joining the FBI, Janke was an associate attorney in Sioux Falls, S.D.

While working for the FBI, Janke said he has been part of national headline-making cases such as the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot by neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman in Florida, as well as the shooting of Michael Brown, a black man fatally shot by police officer Darren White that sparked riots in Ferguson, Mo.

During a presentation to city and police officials on June 7, Janke showed comments about the former chiefs leadership style and compared them to comments made by his own subordinates about his leadership style to show the stark contrast. Janke said he prefers to lead by example and it is important to admit when wrong, but he will have officers backs when right.

Youll never hear me say department or squad, Janke said. We are a team.

Mattern said he hopes Janke will work well with staff and the general public.

Thats the kind of person I was really looking for, Mattern said.

A phone message left for Janke at his FBI office in Kansas City was not returned Friday.

Read more:
West Fargo plans to hire FBI agent Janke as police chief - INFORUM