Chief Shoemaker served as Chief of Police of the Denton, TX, Police Department. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Police of the Grand Junction, CO, Police Department since 2018, after over 26 years of service with the Jefferson City Missouri Police Department, where he was promoted through the ranks to captain. He has extensive experience managing and leading a variety of police units, including investigations, narcotics, community services, patrol, and traffic. He also served as the Public Information Officer as a collateral duty, serving in that capacity for over 12 years.

He is a member of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, and the Police Executives Research Forum. He served as the elected Vice Chair of the IACP’s Public Information Officers Section from 2018 through 2020, with duties to collaborate with other media experts and establish best practices in public outreach and media relations. In 2019, he was appointed by IACP Past President Casstevens to the position of Committee Chair for the Police Standards Ethics and Image Committee, a position he held until he was elected as the 5th Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in September of 2021.  

Chief Shoemaker has worked with a variety of nonprofit organizations, particularly the United Way, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and the Boys and Girls Club. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Missouri and completed his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University in Delaware in January of 2020.