Four police chief finalists talk about goals

During a meet the candidates session on Jan. 4, local residents had the opportunity to talk to the four finalists for Gatesville Police chief ahead of the selection of a new chief.

The newly appointed chief will replace outgoing chief Nathan Gohlke, whose official last day will be Jan. 31. Gohlke served the department as chief for almost 18 years and has retired to work in a much different capacity — as a local funeral director.

With the assistance of Strategic Government Resources, led by Price Robinson, senior vice president for executive recruitment who is a former police chief himself, the city narrowed the list of candidates to four finalists.

"I was looking at two things pretty closely and that was clearly stated in our recruiting brochure — experience and education," said City Manager Bill Parry, who planned to interview each of the candidates on Jan. 5 and said he hoped to make a selection quickly.

"Administrative time as a chief, and experience in patrol and CID (criminal investigation department) are all important. Also, we took a look at education, which shows you have initiative to focus on professional development."

Parry said he was pleasantly surprised by the strong group of candidates, and also their experience level.

"We had to make some hard decisions to get down to four," he said. "There were some very well qualified candidates who were not finalists. The depth of experience we had in the candidates really surprised me."

Robinson said the fact that three of the candidates already have chief experience (the other is a longtime Gatesville Police Department employee) shows the quality of those who applied for the vacancy.

"They will have an opportunity to help build a new police station, which not many chiefs get to do," Robinson said. "It's important that they have vision to move the department forward and be able to recruit and retain quality officers."

Here is a look at each candidate and their goals for the department:

— Matthew Briggs is currently a recruiter/adjunct instructor at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Briggs previously served as police chief in Josephine from 2016-2021. Before that, he served 10 years in the Frisco Police Department.

He said his goal is to seek ways to work closely with the community, finding ways for a partnership between the police department and local residents to create a stronger community.

"There is a longstanding history in Gatesville where people have developed a way of life that they enjoy, and the police department should recognize and build on that to make things even better," Briggs said.

* Carrie West Ellis, is the current police chief in Willow Park, a position she has held since 2017. From 1995-2016, West served in the Corinth Police Department, where she advanced to the rank of lieutenant in charge of support services.

"I think the opportunity to build a new facility is great, and I would also like for the department to receive accreditation from the Texas Police Chiefs Association," she said. "I would spend a lot of time working on those priorities.

Ellis said the small town environment is something that led her to apply, “and the opportunity to build on what has already been done.”

— Cody Lee currently serves as the operations lieutenant for the Criminal Investigation Department of the Gatesville Police Department. Lee's 25-year law enforcement career includes service with the Stephenville Police Department, and the Hamilton and Bosque County sheriff's departments. Lee joined GPD in 2010.

"One of the things I want to do if I am selected is to continue to build on the good things that Chief Gohlke put in place here," he said. "I don't think we need to make this a completely different department. I don't see a need for huge changes."

Lee said he will also work to help continue the strong relationship the department has with Gatesville residents, and to continue to prioritize that.

— Brad Hunt, is the current police chief in Keene, a position he has held since April 2022. Before that, Hunt was a police officer and division commander with the Temple Police Department, where he served for 20 years.

Hunt has worked closely with Texas police departments in helping them to identify the 168-170 standards that must be met during the Texas Police Chiefs Association's accreditation process. He has helped other departments obtain this designation, and said he hopes to be able to do that as chief in Gatesville.

"When you first start looking at the 170 different criteria — timelines, inspection of vehicles, calls, it can be very overwhelming," he said. "I know the process and can help officers and the department with that process.

"Also, one of the biggest things for me is collaboration with other departments. You have the prisons here, Fort Hood and other law enforcement agencies. It's important that we all work together for the best for our communities."