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Weimar City Council intends to review police duties and support systems following the sudden resignation of Police Chief David Socha, Friday, Dec. 12.
Interim City Manager David Mason and Mayor Carlton Tucker appointed Sergeant Investigator John Kelly as Interim Chief of Police. Socha’s resignation leaves the department of eight total positions with only two sergeants and one patrol officer. The positions of chief, lieutenant and a second patrol officer are still vacant.
“I want to say thank you to the city manager, the mayor and the city council for the massive support through these times. I have no problems with the way the City of Weimar treated me,” Socha wrote in his letter. “Weimar, you have good public servants that are willing to work themselves to the bone to protect and serve you and serve you.”
Socha did not list a reason for his “regretful” resignation in his letter submitted to Mason, who said he was surprised to receive it. The Citizen was unable to reach Socha before going to press this week. Mayor Carlton Tucker cited ongoing administrative difficulties and online comments as factors motivating Socha’s resignation.
During Weimar City Council on Thursday, Dec. 11, Socha shared that he was almost finished reviewing investigations into two potential candidates for positions in Weimar PD, one for lieutenant and one for patrol officer. Socha discussed the toll of covering patrol shifts while handling his administrative duties.
“What makes it hard for me is trying to do the hiring process, trying to get the department where I want it to be, trying to get it legally sound with the attorney,” Socha said. “It’s not impossible. It’s just taking too long because I can’t do what I need to do.”
In his resignation letter, Socha wrote that he does not expect more than a delay of one to two days in the hiring process. Tucker reiterated that the main issue with the chief position is staffing.
“The critical piece as we go forward is to make sure that the acting chief and or the new chief when he or she is brought on board has the support that they have or need to achieve in both worlds, the administrative side, but also…to make sure that we have the appropriate number of boots on the grounds to serve people,” Tucker said.
Weimar City Council is set to discuss the chief position, police compensation and other relevant matters during its next meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 5 p.m., primarily in executive session. Socha previously said compensation at Weimar PD was “average” and never cited as a concern for applicants. However, Tucker said the council intends to review the topic as a tool for recruitment.
“We want to make sure that we’re doing as we’re recruiting officers is that we are as much as possible at the very top of the list as far as compensation for officers, so that they can see that we are intent on finding, securing and maintain the absolute best,” Tucker said.
Socha joined Weimar Police Department as its chief on Oct. 6, almost 70 days ago, leaving retirement after serving for over 30 years at Austin Police Department. During his service with Weimar PD, Socha organized for the backlog of investigations to be caught up on and initiated the interlocal agreement between Weimar PD and Colorado County Sheriff’s Office.
Since his hiring, Socha has been the face of online discourse. John Harrington, the operator of the “Corruption Watch – Texas” Facebook page, first raised questions over Socha’s Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) license and has since frequently posted updates on his investigation into Socha’s career and personal life. In an interview with the Citizen in October, Socha explained his eligibility to serve and said he had hired an attorney to review the online postings.
“Like most of us that serve in these public positions, he has a very thick skin, and you have to manage some of the comments,” Tucker said. “But when it starts impacting your family directly, that’s really kind of a line too far and unacceptable.”
Socha wrote in his letter that he resigned effective at the end of Friday to avoid receiving holiday pay, which he “did not believe would be fair to the city or its citizens.” Socha noted that he left detailed notes on his current projects for the interim chief, including the hiring of new officers.
