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Weimar City Council approved action to contract the Texas Police Chiefs Association (TPCA) to aid the city in the search for a new police chief, Thursday, Jan. 8.
TPCA will handle the preliminary background searches and vetting process for candidates then present options to the city for review and interviewing. Interim City Manager David Mason proposed the agenda item and said he learned was recommended TPCA’s services by an official in Brenham.
“In the past we’ve tried to acquire a police chief on our own. We’ve tried to use some committees we’ve put together,” Mason said. “… They’re not directly related to our community. They see things from the outside rather than the inside looking out.”
According to its website, TPCA was founded in 1958 to advance the development of police chiefs and senior law enforcement management throughout the state. TPCA hosts a committee dedicated to improving officer recruitment and retention and offers numerous resources and materials for officials on their website. Mason noted that TPCA typically assists more urban areas.
“I do have some concerns with the cities they have helped have been rather large compared to Weimar,” Mason said. “As far as vetting and background checks and things like that, that’s probably standard in what we would look for in a police chief.”
The council did not discuss how the TPCA’s services would be funded. The next Weimar City Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 12, at 5:30 p.m.
