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Tomball resident questions police chief hiring, alleges undisclosed settlement
Summary
At a special Tomball City Council workshop April 7, a resident raised questions about whether the city used a proper executive search to hire its police chief and alleged a recent settlement involving a Los Angeles police captain was not disclosed to the hiring committee. No council action or staff response was recorded at the workshop.
Jason Sims, a resident identifying himself with “Team Clayton Street,” told the Tomball City Council at a special workshop April 7 that the city may not have used a proper executive search to hire its police chief and raised questions about disclosure of a prior legal settlement.
"Nobody hates a bad cop or a dirty cop more than a good cop," Sims said. "Why wasn't the proper executive search used to find a police executive? Why was it okay that Rob House, former partner, could just come in and take this position? Was he vetted?"
Sims also referred to a court case he named as "Cal versus the City of Los Angeles and Captain Jeffrey Burke," saying it was settled "less than 30 days for $750,000 before he was sworn in here" and asked whether that settlement was disclosed to committees that advised on the hiring. He said the city followed a different procedure when it hired a previous chief, whom he named as Rob Hawk, and suggested the current hiring differed from that prior process.
The meeting facilitator declined to answer on the record, saying, "We're not going to answer." No staff presentation or council response to Sims' questions was recorded in the workshop transcript. Sims also made further allegations during his remarks, including a statement that "cell phones have been turned over to the attorney general," which was presented as his claim rather than documented fact.
The public-comment portion of the special workshop closed after Sims' remarks. The facilitator then asked council members to review proposed future agenda items; no council discussion on the hiring question was recorded at the workshop. The facilitator adjourned the special workshop and announced the full city council meeting would begin at 6:00 p.m.
The workshop record does not show any formal direction to staff, investigation orders, or votes related to Sims' allegations. The transcript indicates the city reminded speakers that personnel matters and matters under litigation are not subject to council discussion during public comment and that items may not be acted on unless they are noticed on a posted agenda.
