Austin, TX
Former Montgomery Police Chief applies for police chief position in Austin, TX – WAKA 8
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According to the City of Austin, former Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert has applied to be the next chief of police for the Austin Police Department. Albert is one of 32 people who have applied for the position.
According to ABC affiliate KVUE, the city is looking for a candidate with at least a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, public or business administration, or a related field. They must also have at least 10 years of “progressively responsible work in police administration,” with at least five years as a “bona fide law enforcement officer.”
The posting states that the most competitive candidates will have direct experience as a police chief in a large city with “issues that are similarly complex to those in Austin.” They will also have the ability to forge relationships with Austin’s many diverse communities and should have a “sound understanding of the history of institutional racism in policing” and work to provide public safety services equitably while also advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion, including within APD.
Albert resigned from the Montgomery Police Department on April 18, after he was put on administrative leave by Mayor Steven Reed on April 8. You can see Mayor Steven Reed’s press conference about Albert’s resignation here.
Reed said there were several issues, including sexual harassment and department morale, that led to Albert being put on paid leave. He would not go into specifics.
Reed said that when Albert submitted his resignation, they both mutually agreed that the department needed a new voice and a new direction. Albert became Montgomery’s police chief in 2022.