The city presented three prospective police chiefs to the community on Monday.
Lt. Steve Buchanan of the Denton Police Department, Assistant Chief Angela Mathews from the Jarrell Police Department and Deputy Chief of Police Ken Myers from the Allen Police Department got an opportunity to greet and introduce themselves to the residents in attendance during an informal meet and greet at the PointBank Community Center from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
“We believe that all three of these candidates bring those aspects, so we want to see the community’s interaction, how they interact with community and get feedback so when we make our selection, we’ll have taken that into consideration,” City Manager Britt Lusk said.
QR codes available at the event gave community members in attendance an opportunity to send their feedback on the prospective chiefs to city staff.
“One of the biggest things we’re trying to get is a community partner,” Lusk said. “There was a chief at a conference I attended who said he manages the department from behind his desk but leads his people from the streets, and I just thought that was a great thing. We want someone that’s going to be like that. We want experience in best practices and policies.”
Each of the potential chiefs gave the room an introduction before splitting off to let attendees speak with them individually.
Buchanan, a 30-year Denton County resident, has experience in cases from child abuse and drug abuse to sexual assaults, homicide, robberies and narcotics as well as 20 of his 26 years as an officer on SWAT.
“I did 20 years on SWAT, then decided it was time to let the young people kick down doors for a while,” Buchanan said. “I learned quite a bit about planning operations from that, then worked as an investigator before I was promoted up to sergeant.”
He explained he’s got a particular interest in investigations. He further said he feels his service and experience in Denton as it grew over the last two decades will benefit the community.
“I feel I can bring some experience to the department,” Buchanan said. “I’ve seen Denton grow over the last 26 years and understand the need for planning and getting ahead of that now. I believe I can be a valuable asset, not just to the police department but [also] to our partners at the fire department and other directors of the city.”
Mathews, a Killeen native, spent nearly 18 years at its department, where she gathered most of the experience and credits she shared.
“I worked adult crimes, sex crimes, child crimes, homicide, and did that for close to eight years before I became a sergeant and becoming a sergeant on patrol at that time,” Mathews said.
She said after making sergeant she was tasked with leading the community engagement program in Killeen.
“I was picked to run the community engagement unit, which was part of the city’s comprehensive plan to revitalize our downtown area,” Mathews said. “I worked with different city department heads and created a program called the Killeen Cares program which is a mental health program for our officers.”
Taking care of her officers was a focus during Mathews’ introduction.
She was also over the department’s wellness program, is a certified fitness instructor and administered that program for over 15 years.
“I am also a certified peer instructor for Region 7,” Mathews said. “Peer support, mental health and well-being is very much a priority for me.”
She’s been with the Jarrell department for just over a year, though shared she’s excited at the prospect of moving to Pilot Point if she gets the position.
“I come out here to Pilot Point, and I’m like, ‘Man, y’all have a really great community,’” Mathews said. “I see what you’re doing in your downtown area and how close-knit you guys are. I see the relationships you have built and want to help make that stronger and build those relationships. I want to help build those relationships with our police department and our community.”
Myers, who started his career in 1992 at the Denton County Sherriff’s Office moving to Trophy Club and later Allen, opened with a thank you to the community members in attendance.
“It speaks volumes to your commitment to the community to make sure that you get the right next chief of police on the cusp of the growth that you’re going to experience,” Myers said. “It is vitally important that your public safety, police and fire, be very strong along with other aspects of government.”
He likened Trophy Club, where he worked in the schools as a juvenile investigator and did community relations programs, to Pilot Point at its current size.
His most recent department, Allen, has seen growth he related to the type Pilot Point is on the brink of.
“Allen has certainly changed in the last 24 years that I’ve been there,” Myers said. “We’ve nearly tripled our police department, tripled the population, created new programs, started a traffic unit—and I came up through there.”
He then spoke on his experience in a heavy-growth environment.
“In a growing community, the ability to forecast and plan for [that] is a skill your next chief needs to have so that traffic is of as little impact to you as possible and so that when crime comes, and it will come, you’re ready for it and that your police department is ready to engage it,” Myers said.
Myers shared that he’d been invited to the FBI National Academy for training, though regarding leadership, he’d received even better training from Allen’s Chamber of Commerce.
“It taught me not law enforcement leadership but how things are done in a community,” Myers said. “You still need to know how to run a police department, but you have got to have that other skillset to go with it.”
During his career, he’s been over patrol, SWAT, canine traffic, dispatch, jail, records management, technology programs, administrative and the criminal investigations unit.
“I like to see what they have to say, what their goals are and why they’ve chosen Pilot Point,” John Haverty said of the meet and greet. “I think it’s great, and it was a good idea to do it this way.”
Mary Jackson felt similarly.
“We should know them, know who they are,” Jackson said. “You want to know who they are, so if you have any problems, you can speak to them straight up. I just want fair treatment to everyone, no stereotyping. As long as they’re doing that, they’ll be doing good.”
Interim Chief Charles Kimble also took the opportunity to give a short goodbye.
“I’m glad to have been part of the transformation that is happening here,” Kimble said. “As I transition out and the new chief comes in, I just want to say thank you for opening your arms up to me and welcoming me, giving me advice and some criticism. I think we’re in a lot better place as a police department than we were a few months ago.”
He shared a bit about the work he and Lusk have put into the department over the last several months.
“Starting with salaries, Britt and the City Council have been excellent on raising salaries and allowing us extra spots, which we have filled,” Kimble said. “The police department is at 100% capacity right now, and we’re looking towards growth to make sure we bring people on before the city outgrows what we have.”
The department has also replaced its fleet with new vehicles and has started focusing on professional development for its officers.
“The staff here, we’re like seeds in the ground, they just needed a little water,” Kimble said. “We have plans for other officers to continue their professional growth, so as they see growth, we hope others as we recruit will see that and we’ll be able to bring quality people on.”
Pilot Point ISD Police Department Chief Brad Merritt, who sat on a panel with four other local chiefs from Sanger, Celina, Aubrey and Melissa, gave high marks to each of the candidates.
“They all possess the qualities to do the job,” Merritt said. “They have vast experience, all different but similar. Any of the three would be a good choice, and I’m excited about working with whoever is selected.”
Lusk did not provide a date for the final selection.
“Each of them brings in extensive backgrounds and experience in different sized communities from Denton to Jarrell to Allen, so we’re excited about the quality of these candidates and know that Chief Kimble in his short amount of time here has done a good job in helping me right the ship, so any one of these three could grab that helm,” Lusk said.
