San Angelo Police Chief Frank Carter Won't Seek Re-election

SAN ANGELO – San Angelo Police Chief Frank Carter announced on social media Monday evening that he will not be seeking re-election and asked the question of his followers what they thought about electing a police chief versus hiring a chief.  

San Angelo is one of only two cities in Texas that still elects a police chief.  That means the candidates must live in San Angelo and hold a Texas Peace Officer certification, which narrows down the pool of candidates basically to the San Angelo Police Department or the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office.  

The overwhelming number of cities in Texas hire a Police Chief the same way they do a City Manager or Fire Chief – and much the same way all school districts in Texas hire Superintendents, Principals, Coaches and Teachers.  

Chief Carter wrote the following on social media: "My term as chief will be up in May of 2024. I will have over 31 1/2 years of service, supervisor for 25 years and chief for 8 if I can hang on. My wife and I have had long discussions, I am a term limit guy and I have seen too many officers that hang on too long and pass away before enjoying retirement.

My question to my constituents is, the appointed police chief has surfaced again and want to possibly remove your right to vote for police chief and have the position appointed by council. Thoughts?"

There have been hundreds of responses to Chief Carter's question on social media mostly praising him for the outstanding job he has done and supporting the electing of the Police Chief in San Angelo.  

The question could be related to the fact that Carter's predecessor, former Police Chief Tim Vasquez has been found guilty on federal charges of accepting bribes and is facing serious prison time.  Vasquez could be sentenced to 70 years in prison.  He is scheduled to be sentenced in Federal Court in Lubbock in June.  

In most cities in Texas and around the U.S., Police Chiefs are selected through a rigorous application and selection process.  Those cities can attract highly experienced and qualified candidates who are the most well trained and educated in the business.  

The issue has surfaced before and San Angelo voters have overwhelmingly supported electing the Chief of Police. 

San Angelo elects a Police Chief every four years normally from within the Police Department and those elections can cause divisions among police officers and the community.  And the results speak for themselves.  

You can share your opinion about electing v. hiring a Police Chief in the comments section below or on social media.  Readers are also encouraged to write a letter to the editor and email it to: yantis@sanangelolive.com.