TERRELL, Texas — Earlier this year, the City of Terrell began the rigorous search for a new chief of police in wake of then-Chief Jody Lay’s retirement in May.
TERRELL, Texas — Earlier this year, the City of Terrell began the rigorous search for a new chief of police in wake of then-Chief Jody Lay’s retirement in May.
Lay set some very high standards, after being hired in 2009, to lead the department — helping reduce crime in Terrell by 45 percent, establishing the first forensic unit in Kaufman County, bridging partnerships between area law enforcement agencies and the community, and being instrumental in upgrading the department’s radio operability and the construction of a new $12.5 million police headquarters.
Those lofty standards are the expectations the city is seeking in its search for a new chief.
The department, which staffs some 40 sworn officers and 23 civilians, is seeking a candidate to bring these resources into the future in an analytical, business-like manner with astute management complexity, according to a position profile posted by Strategic Government Resources (SGR) , the firm tasked with the executive search.
“The next Chief of Police will need to be a community-minded individual who will become a public figure and leader in the community and promote Terrell as a tremendously safe city,” continues the profile.
Terrell is poised for explosive growth over the next several years and is leading the county in industrial, commercial, entertainment, and retail developments in, among other areas, the Farm-to-Market (FM) 148, Interstate 20, and Spur 557 corridor, and, with miles of growth along highway frontage and the state’s single largest TIF district consisting of 4,500 acres.
The Terrell Police Officer’s Association, in an endorsement letter released Monday night, says interim Chief Ken McKeown possess the skills and experience needed to guide the City of Terrell through these growth years.
Earlier this month, the association met in regard to discussing a possible endorsement of McKeown. With a majority of the members present, the association unanimously endorsed interim Chief Ken McKeown for chief of police.
The City of Terrell is expected to have its first review of the applications on November 2, 2017, according to SGR.
Endorsement letter on behalf of Terrell Police Officer Association President Corporal Zachary Boyd:
“On Tuesday October 3, 2017, the Terrell Police Officers Association met regarding the possibility of endorsing Interim Chief Ken McKeown for the position of Chief of Police. This meeting was held with a majority of the department officers/ Terrell Police Officers Association members present. The votes were unanimous in this endorsement in favor for Ken McKeown.
We as the Association, feel that Ken McKeown is the right choice to lead us forward as a department. Ken McKeown has been with the police department for almost 25 years and we believe has the invaluable knowledge, common sense, experience and community relationships that have more than earned him the position for Chief of Police. Ken McKeown has come up throughout the ranks and is well equipped in every facet of this Police Department. Ken McKeown has an upper hand in the fact that he knows what is needed to balance the needs that are specific to dealing with operating this agency compared to any other candidate that may be in competition. There is no doubt that there are other qualified candidates applying for this Police Chief position. There is also no doubt that most of the candidates are probably from bigger cities, counties and agencies. However, past experiences with prior Chiefs from bigger cities/ agencies have shown that there is often a learning curve when dealing with perceptions versus the realities of managing the Terrell Police Department due to the vast difference in staffing, funding and overall spirit of this city. With Ken McKeown there is no learning curve since he has been with this agency long enough to learn from past Chiefs’ examples of what works and is by far the best fit for this department. The Terrell Police Officers are ready and waiting for Ken McKeown to lead us as this city is at the precipice for the upcoming growth that is coming.
We believe that it would be a sorely missed opportunity for the City of Terrell to move forward without immediately selecting Ken McKeown as the Chief of Police. We hope that the Terrell Council Members, Terrell City Manager and Terrell Assistant City Manager seriously take this endorsement to heart seeing as it comes from the men and women who serve and protect this city.”
