Howe Police Chief Jake Sullivan has resigned, and a lieutenant is running the department while the city looks for his replacement.
City staff confirmed the resignation to KTEN on Wednesday. City Administrator Monte Walker's written report for the Oct. 20 City Council meeting says Lt. Seth Sparks has been named officer in charge, and adds that Sparks "reports a healthy atmosphere" in the department.
Neither KTEN's report nor the council packet gives a reason for the resignation or says when it takes effect.
What the council will do Tuesday
Two items on the agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 20, deal with the vacancy.
The first is to ratify the chief's resignation. In a memo dated Oct. 13, Walker wrote that after talking with the city attorney, ratifying it was the best way forward, because the usual "discuss, consider, and act upon" process is not needed.
The second sets out how the city will advertise the job. Walker wrote that he expects to use the same job description and posting the city used before, with minor changes to the salary. The suggested motion would let him post the police chief opening for 30 days or until it is filled.
A department in the middle of upgrades
Sullivan led the department as it earned accreditation from the Texas Police Chiefs Association, which KTEN reported made Howe the third accredited police agency in Grayson County, after Sherman and Denison. He told KTEN at the time that the department was judged on 173 best practices and that the process took 13 months.
He also told the station the department was replacing aging gear with new Tasers, body cameras, drones and virtual training tools, and said bringing that technology together through Axon would save about $1 million over 10 years.
