Turner names interim chief
Nationwide search continues for McClelland’s successor
Mayor Sylvester Turner picks 36-year Houston Police Department veteran Martha Montalvo to lead the department while his team conducts a nationwide search for a permanent chief.
Mayor Sylvester Turner has tapped 36-year Houston Police Department veteran Martha Montalvo to lead the department while his team conducts a nationwide search for a new permanent chief.
Montalvo, 56, has served as chief of staff to outgoing Chief Charles McClelland and has held the rank of executive assistant chief since 2004, the first Hispanic woman to serve in that capacity in HPD history. On Thursday, she became the department’s first Hispanic chief.
“Chief Montalvo has a wealth of experience that will serve the department and the citizens of Houston well,” Turner said.
“She also understands that all city departments will need to share the sacrifice in balancing the budget f or t he coming fiscal year. I look forward to working with her on solutions that will gen- erate the cost savings we need without impacting the police protections our citizens deserve,” Turner added.
Houston must close a projected $ 126 million budget deficit by July, though Turner has pledged not to lay off any police officers. Budget hearings begin in May.
Montalvo said the announcement was an emotional moment for her, recognizing that she has become the first Hispanic chief in the department’s history.
“The message I want to
get across is that the opportunities exist if you work hard, and just don’t give up,” she said. “It’s possible. The department in 35 years has changed quite a lot, and I’m an example of that.”
This is not a time for reflection, however, Montalvo said.
“I understand that there are challenges ahead of us,” she said, “and I’m ready to get to work.”
‘Clear choice’
McClelland, who has been chief since 2010 and has ser ved nearly f our decades with HPD, plans to retire Feb. 26.
Turner said he has a search committee already working to identify “the best person possible” to replace McClelland, looking both inside and outside the department.
He said he has given the group no timeline and did not address whether Montalvo’s appointment gives her a leg up for the permanent post.
Houston Police Officers Union president Ray Hunt said he was not surprised by the announcement because the interim job was sure to be filled by one of the three executive assistant chiefs: Montalvo, George Buenik, who runs HPD’s strategic operations, or Michael Dirden, who heads up patrol.
“Obviously, the person who’s been sitting with McClelland for the last couple years was probably the clear choice to continue the path while the mayor looks for a chief,” Hunt said. “We can work with her during the interim while they’re looking for a new chief, and we’re confident the mayor is going to select the best person for this department and the best person who the troops are going to support.”
Those in and around HPD say Montalvo is a bythe-book commander with an attention to detail.
Policing is a way of life for Montalvo: her husband is a Houston police lieutenant, her son is a rookie patrol officer, her brother-in-law and cousin are sergeants and her nephew is a deputy county constable.
Councilwoman Brenda Stardig, who chairs the council’s public safety committee, praised Montalvo’s appointment.
“I’m excited about it, because she already knows the issues, she’s got the leadership experience, and I look forward to continuing to work with her,” Stardig said. “She listens to everyone and she’s got a good working relationship with the rank and file.”
A native of Ecuador who immigrated to Houston with her parents at age 5, Montalvo was raised on the city’s east side, became a United States citizen at 18 and entered the police academy in 1980.
She has worked in the patrol, communications, training, jail and homicide divisions, and was promoted to assistant chief in 1998 and executive assistant chief in 2004.
“The message I want to get across is that the opportunities exist if you work hard, and just don’t give up.” Martha Montalvo, interim police chief
Game changer
Montalvo oversaw the implementation and operation of red-light cameras, which voters banned by referendum in 2010. She developed the Crime Analysis System Enhancement, an information system containing mapping software with crime and prevention applications.
Montalvo also was responsible for overseeing the department’s troubled fingerprint analysis lab from 2004 to 2008.
Audits showed HPD f ailed to update equipment, provide adequate training or communicate effectively with lab staff, leading to a 2009 scandal over workers making technical errors in analyzing prints; three employees were put on leave and one resigned, and consultants were hired to take the lab over.
In the search for a permanent chief, Stardig said she would prefer the selection to come from within HPD; Hunt said he understands that to be the mayor’s preference, as well.