Sun Prairie Police and Fire Commission Promotes Lieutenant Ryan Cox to Assistant Chief of Police

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 27, 2025
Jake King
Communications and Diversity Strategist
jking@cityofsunprairie.com
(608) 332-5397

Sun Prairie Police and Fire Commission Promotes Lieutenant Ryan Cox to Assistant Chief of Police

On March 25, the Sun Prairie Police and Fire Commission voted unanimously to approve the promotion of Lieutenant Ryan Cox to serve as Sun Prairie’s assistant chief of police. The promotion will take effect on March 31. Cox has served in the Sun Prairie Police Department for 17 years and will be stepping into the role with extensive experience.

In 2008, he joined the department as a patrol officer and since then has successfully held the positions of patrol sergeant, detective sergeant, special operations lieutenant and patrol lieutenant. Currently, he oversees 46 sworn sergeants and officers. In addition to his supervisory roles, Cox has led many critical education initiatives to advance public safety knowledge and skill for other law enforcement professionals, city staff and elected officials.

These efforts include serving as an instructor for both the Leadership in Police Organization course and Defense and Arrest Tactics course, coordinating active threat response trainings, and overseeing the K9 program. While ensuring strong involvement internally with staff, he has prioritized community engagement by participating in programs and events such as Leadership Sun Prairie, National Night Out, Shop with a Cop and more. With his experience, Cox has a strong educational background that will be useful in his new role.

Cox graduated from Western Illinois University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Sciences and from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff & Command in 2023.

“Lieutenant Cox’s proven leadership will be a true asset to each employee of the Sun Prairie Police Department and the citizens of Sun Prairie,” said Jeff Hook, interim chief of police.

As the second-in-command to the chief of police, Cox will be responsible for managing the department’s operations, personnel, resources and overall effectiveness. His primary focus will be ensuring that the vision, mission and core values of the department are integrated in all that they do.

“I look forward to working with Lieutenant Cox as our new assistant chief of police,” said Aaron Oppenheimer, city administrator. “He will play a vital role in assisting the next chief of police acclimate to the department, community and county.” To learn more about the Sun Prairie Police Department, please visit www.cityofsunprairie/Police.

About City of Sun Prairie

Sun Prairie is a vibrant and thriving community located in northeastern Dane County, just east of the City of Madison. The City of Sun Prairie has experienced strong population growth since its incorporation from a village to a city in 1958, undergoing a transformation from a relatively small community of less than 4,000 to an estimated 39,419 today.