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Pflugerville council appoints Willie Richards as police chief after national search
Summary
The Pflugerville City Council voted to appoint Willie Richards as police chief following a national search. Council members questioned the candidate on diversity, transparency and evidence-handling; the council then entered an executive session on a separate personnel matter with no action taken.
Pflugerville — The City Council voted to approve the appointment of Willie Richards as Pflugerville police chief on a motion by the mayor, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Kimberly Holiday. The motion carried in a roll-call that recorded Miss Ryan, the mayor, Mayor Pro Tem Holiday, Councilor Ruiz and Councilor Weiss voting yes; Mister Rogers was not recorded as present.
Serena, who presented the search results to the council, recommended Richards after a national search, saying he "shined as a leader who cares deeply about public service" and highlighted his more than three decades in law enforcement, service as assistant police chief in Round Rock, graduation from the FBI National Academy and a master's degree from Sam Houston State University.
When the council asked the person who came forward to address them, he identified himself as Kenneth and answered a series of questions about priorities, diversity and departmental practices. Asked why diversity and inclusion matter, Kenneth said representing the community "means we need to continue to be diverse and try and exemplify the community that we serve," adding that police legitimacy depends on that representation.
On internal practices, Kenneth told the council his top three priorities would be a 90-day observation period to learn the organization, an evaluation of policies on response to resistance and aggression, and a review of evidence-handling protocols. In response to concerns about evidence-management problems in other nearby agencies, he said he would request "a 100% audit" — a full performance and evidence audit — to identify gaps and correct deficiencies.
Council members pressed on operational support for the municipal court and on accountability. Councilor Weiss asked what the chief's role should be in supporting court security and prosecutorial needs; Kenneth said he would evaluate existing court security and make sure courts and court staff are protected. On accountability, he emphasized internal integrity, coaching and mentoring, and said building relationships within the department would help staff keep each other accountable.
Following the vote the council welcomed the appointee. The meeting then moved into an executive session "pursuant to chapter 551.074 of the Texas Government Code" to discuss the performance evaluation of the municipal judge; no action resulted from that session and the meeting was adjourned.
The council's decision makes Richards the city's police chief; the council did not specify an official start date in the session transcript. The council said it expects to follow up on operations and performance during the chief's initial months on the job.
