The city of Rifle has announced two final candidates for its next police chief following the retirement of former Chief Debra Funston in April. 

Finalists were selected from a pool of 16 applicants. A community reception will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 1, at the Rifle Ute Theater and Event Center, 132 E. Fourth St., where residents can meet and provide feedback on the two candidates. 

Finalists will meet with the Rifle Police Department staff, interviews with Rifle City Council, City Manager Patrick Waller and members of the city’s executive staff. 

Cory Huff has more than 27 years of experience with the Peoria Police Department, currently serving as patrol lieutenant and shift commander since 2022. He previously served as internal affairs Commander from 2018 to 2022, overseeing professional standards investigations, policy compliance, and organizational accountability, including officer-involved shootings and in-custody death investigations.

Huff also served as sergeant of investigations from 2013 to 2018, supervising violent crimes, juvenile investigations and crime scene operations. He also served in the department’s problem-oriented policing and street crimes unit from 2003 to 2012, where he worked closely with residents, community stakeholders, and federal law enforcement partners on violence reduction and neighborhood quality-of-life initiatives. 

Huff has extensive experience in patrol operations, criminal investigations, internal affairs, community policing, critical incident command, and public safety technology implementation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in law enforcement and justice administration from Western Illinois University, graduated from Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command in 2019, and became a certified force science analyst through the Force Science Institute in 2023. 

The second finalist is Thomas A. Klein Jr., a veteran law enforcement and municipality leadership professional with more than 30 years of public service. Currently, he serves as a police officer with the Airport Division of the Orlando Police Department. 

Klein previously served as Rifle police chief from 2017 to 2021 before becoming city manager from 2021 to 2024. Klein moved to Florida in 2024 to help his wife care for ailing family members. 

Before moving to western Colorado, Klein spent 24 years with the Raleigh Police Department in North Carolina, gaining experience in patrol operations, drug and homicide investigations, gang intelligence, crime analysis, threat assessments and domestic violence investigations. 

Klein held multiple leadership roles throughout his time at Raleigh Police Department, including detective sergeant in the threat assessment and domestic violence units and later lieutenant  within the Raleigh Intelligence Center and Downtown District. He later retired as a district captain, overseeing one of Raleigh’s largest patrol districts.

Throughout his career, Klein has emphasized community-oriented policing, collaborative problem-solving and date-informed strategies to strengthen public safety and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. 

Klein graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology with a concentration in criminal justice from North Carolina State University and is a graduate of the Administrative Officers Management Program.