Santa Fe police chief retires
City officials expressed concern with officer’s management ability, capacity to take criticism
Santa Fe Police Chief Jeffrey Powell, who led the department during the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in May, retired last week after local officials expressed concerns with his leadership.
Santa Fe Police Chief Jeffrey Powell, who led the department during the mass shooting that killed 10 at Santa Fe High School in May, retired last week, after city officials expressed concerns with his leadership.
City Manager Joe Dickson told the Houston Chronicle on Tuesday that he and Powell mutually agreed to part ways.
“Chief Powell and I have had a discussion about the direction of the police department, and I felt he was not providing the leadership I was looking for,” Dickson said. “Because of his long and honorable career in law enforcement, he felt this was a good time to retire. Chief Powell has always been professional with me and the Council, and I wish him well in the future.”
Dickson declined further comment on Powell’s job performance, but a January performance review assessment, obtained by the Chronicle through a public records request, showed that Dickson had given the police chief above-average marks in nearly every category. A notable exception was “Staff Management and Development,” in which Powell’s leadership skills were called into question during Hurricane Harvey. Dickson wrote that Powell “took a back seat” during the storm.
“Not seeing strong leadership skills,” Dickson wrote in the assessment. “Relying too heavily on captain.”
Santa Fe was one of several localities in Galveston County that did not evacuate during Harvey. Dozens of homes and main thoroughfares flooded as more than 50 inches of rain inundated the town of 13,000 people.
In another category, “Council/ City Manager Relations,” Dickson gave Powell a low mark on his receptiveness to constructive criticism and advice, and ability to serve as an effective example and
role model for other employees.
“Becomes defensive when criticized,” Dickson wrote.
Powell, who was hired by Santa Fe in August 2016 after a 23year career in the Palestine Police Department, could not be reached for comment. Powell is a Santa Fe native and graduate of Santa Fe High School.
A former Marine, Powell joined the Palestine Police Department in August 1994 after serving as a Harris County sheriff ’s deputy for three years. In Palestine, Powell rose from patrol officer to operations chief before being promoted to assistant chief on an interim basis. As assistant chief, he oversaw the patrol division in Palestine.
Powell holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls and a master’s degree in applied criminology from Texas A&M University-Commerce.
He succeeded former Santa Fe Police Chief Kenneth Campbell, who left to become the police chief in Nassau Bay. Powell’s hiring was unanimously approved by the Santa Fe City Council, with Dickson saying at the time that Powell “had the credentials we were looking for.”
Powell applied for several other police chief jobs before seeing the vacancy again back in his hometown.
“This was an opening I could not pass up,” Powell told the Palestine Herald-Press in July 2016, shortly after accepting the job.
Powell also told the Palestine Herald-Press that he had no plans to leave the Santa Fe police chief post anytime soon, a question that the City Council members asked him during the interview process.
Santa Fe Mayor Jason Tabor said he was “caught off guard” by the timing of Powell’s retirement but praised him for his service.
“I’m thankful for the time he’s been with the district, and I wish him luck on his future endeavors,” Tabor said.
Tabor added that he’s “excited” to evaluate the interim police chief, Capt. Philip Meadows, who ran the department briefly after Campbell departed in May 2016.
The Santa Fe City Council will likely have an action item on its Sept. 13 agenda to find a permanent replacement for Powell, Tabor said.