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Taylor council unanimously confirms Joseph Branson as interim police chief
Summary
Council voted unanimously to confirm Commander Joseph Branson as interim police chief and directed staff to perform a gap assessment and launch a national search assisted by an outside firm to produce a tailored job description and candidate vetting process.
The Taylor City Council on Sept. 25 unanimously confirmed Commander Joseph Branson as interim police chief after Chief Lucas’s retirement on Sept. 22. The council also directed staff to hire a firm to assist with a national search, produce a department gap assessment and help craft a job description and interview questions tailored to Taylor’s size and needs.
Mayor Dwayne Areola opened the discussion by thanking former Chief Lucas for his service and by stressing the need for a candidate accustomed to small- to medium-sized city policing. “We need somebody that’s going to be nimble and has a lot of great ideas on how to…work with community organizations and non-profits,” the mayor said.
The council described the next steps as a structured search. The mayor asked that the firm performing the search first complete a gap assessment of the Taylor Police Department to identify strengths and weaknesses, consult current command staff and the police association, and help form interview questions that probe day-to-day operational experience as well as community engagement plans. The council emphasized that applicants from very large departments should be asked how they would adapt to a smaller agency’s flatter command structure.
Commander Joseph Branson, who the city manager appointed pending council confirmation, addressed the council after the vote: “I consider it a great honor. This is my town, so I’m happy to serve here in any capacity. My only goal is to provide some stability for our department as we look for that next chief.”
The formal motion to confirm Branson was made by Councilmember Ben Redden and seconded by Councilwoman Long; the vote was unanimous. No additional personnel action was taken at the meeting. The council directed staff to return with a recommended process and vendor scope for the recruitment firm and to involve the command team in developing candidate criteria.
No salary change, contract terms or timeline for the permanent search were adopted at the Sept. 25 meeting; the council required further information from staff and the selected consultant before any final hiring decision.
