New Longview police chief aims to make department 'premier agency in East Texas and beyond'

Just weeks officially into his new role as Longview police chief, Anthony Boone has a big goal for his department — for it to be “the premier agency in East Texas and beyond.”

The Longview City Council on April 28 unanimously voted in favor of appointing Boone to the position after he was named acting chief in January upon the retirement of Mike Bishop, and Boone said recently he is grateful for the position, excited about moving into a new under-construction police station and has big plans for the department.

"While I thank my predecessor for the agency he has passed down to me, I still hope to make improvements and leave it even better for my replacement, one day," he said. "I am excited about moving into the new building and building on our community involvement and relationships to help make this a premier agency and Longview a great place to work, live and play."

Boone said he has always “felt drawn to the profession,” which has interested him since a teenager, and that he likes the idea of being “the protector for those that can’t protect themselves.”

He graduated in 2000 from the University of Texas at Tyler with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. In January 2001, he joined the Longview Police Department as a patrol officer, and, in 2005, he was promoted to sergeant working as a field training officer supervisor before becoming a lieutenant in 2008.

In 2011, he graduated from the FBI National Academy and the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas and was promoted to assistant chief in November 2015, a position he retained through when he was named acting chief in January.

"My goal is for this agency to be the premier agency in East Texas and beyond. I am thankful that our community has invested in the department with good equipment and a new building currently under construction," he said. "While the legacy began before me, our mantra at the PD is 'Providing Professional Policing.'

"Crime numbers will vary, but we will control what enforcement actions and planning our agency implements to address these issues as they arise. We will utilize a professional police force to deal with crime, traffic safety, and other social harms that affect our community."

Boone said he is also looking to retain well-trained and experienced staff and to improve recruiting efforts for officers and dispatchers.

"The rewarding portion is the ability to be a facilitator for the employees by being their advocate and helping to make sure they have what is needed to be successful," Boone said. "This is equipment, training, leadership, support, and high standards. It is also being the advocate for the community and making sure that the department is meeting the expectations and the needs of the community as a whole."

Longview City Manager Rolin McPhee pointed to programs the department has launched this year as examples of Boone’s early success as chief.

“Chief Boone has shown great initiative restarting community policing programs, soliciting community feedback on policing operations, and launching ‘Operation: Pump the Brakes’ to address traffic safety throughout our community,” McPhee said. “His performance during these past months have confirmed the trust we placed in him.”

At the May 12 council meeting, Boone outlined the department’s new effort aimed at making the city’s roads safer by focusing on enforcement on speeding, racing and red-light violations — Operation: Pump the Brakes.

According to Longview police spokesman Brandon Thornton, the enforcement operation had been in the works, but two fatal crashes involving motorcycles on April 30 acted as a catalyst to get it launched.

Speaking to council on May 26, Boone said the initiative so far been “very successful.”

“This is about social harms and preventing crashes that hurt everybody in the long run,” he said.

In February, the department launched a survey program that presents questions to customers who use its services. In April, Boone said results from the survey showed residents gave the department good marks for professionalism and safety.

“Chief Boone is a proven leader who possesses the character, wisdom, compassion, and temperament needed to guide the Longview Police Department,” McPhee said. “These qualities have been on display consistently throughout his career, but were confirmed during the two and a half months he served as acting chief of police.”

Boone said his grandfather is his greatest influence and that when he isn’t working he enjoys yardwork, which is “a great stress reliever,” and attending his children’s sporting events.

"I am proud of my family. They make me strive to be a better person,” he said. “My faith has grown quite a bit over the years, and my wife has been quite the influence in this area of my life. I have two teenagers, and they are active in both academic events and sports. Their energy and determination is an inspiration to me, and a reflection of some of my grandfather's genes still living on today."