One of 5 candidates for Killeen police chief had 'tumultuous' tenure in Little Rock

One of the five finalists to succeed Charles Kimble as Killeen’s police chief retired almost a year ago following a “tumultuous” three years in the same position at the Little Rock, Arkansas, Police Department.

That’s according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which reported on May 3 that Humphrey’s leadership was “marked by internal conflict” between he and subordinates, public clashes with the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 17 and an increase in homicides.

In 2020, the police union approved a no-confidence resolution on Humphrey and the same year, three assistant police chiefs and seven captains signed a letter to Little Rock officials alleging Humphrey “was responsible for a toxic and hostile work environment,” according to the Democrat-Gazette.

Keith Humphrey, Arkanasas Democrat-Gazette
 

Humphrey, 58, has also been chief of police in Norman, Oklahoma, and Lancaster. According to a news release from Killeen officials, he’s also “held command and supervisor positions” in Arlington, near Dallas.

The Democrat-Gazette reported that Humphrey became Little Rock’s police chief in April 2019.

Humphrey received a Master of Business Administration in strategic leadership from Amberton University and Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Texas A&M University.

According to the Killeen release, City Manager Kent Cagle selected Humphrey and the other four finalists. Residents are invited to a reception to meet the candidates on Friday, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., at the Killeen Civic and Conference Center.

The other finalists are Killeen Police Department Assistant Police Chief Alex Gearhart; Pedro Lopez Jr., Houston ISD police chief; Chris Vallejo, a senior law-enforcement official with Austin Police Department; and Ellwood Thomas Witten Jr,, chief deputy for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the release, the candidates will tour the city and Killeen police headquarters on April 13 and possibly meet with executive staff members.

On Friday, interviews are scheduled with a panel of community members, selected by the City Council, with the reception to follow.

Public Sector Search & Consulting of California conducted the national search. The application period opened on Feb. 15 and closed a month later.

Candidates were vetted through a comprehensive process, including a preliminary background check and interviews to narrow the field to the five most-qualified finalists, according to the release. City Council members, Mayor Debbie Nash-King, Cagle and city spokeswoman Janell Ford have repeatedly refused to say how many candidates applied.

On Nov. 29, 2022, more than five years after he was hired, Kimble, 53, announced his intention to retire from the city of Killeen, effective Jan. 27. He remains interim chief as part of a 12-week “temporary employee agreement” set to expire in May.

The other finalists

Alex Gearhart

Gearhart has been in law enforcement for 29 years and is experienced in all divisions of the department, according to the release. He leads the Operations Bureau that includes the patrol and criminal investigations divisions of KPD. Gearhart has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Texas (now Texas A&M University-Central Texas in Killeen).

Pedro Lopez, Jr.

Lopez is chief of police for Houston ISD. He has a 35-year law enforcement career, including as assistant chief. He has a Master of Arts in Criminology from the University of Houston and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Mountain State University. Lopez had a 27-year military career in the U.S. Army.

Chris Vallejo

Vallejo is a senior law-enforcement official and community engagement leader and commander of investigations with the Austin Police Department, having worked for the agency for nearly 30 years.

He has 29 years of experience in organizational leadership, mission- critical operations and community- safety initiatives. Vallejo has a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice, Executive Leadership Track from Texas State University and a bachelor’s degree in applied arts and science from Midwestern State University. He is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Tom Whitten

Ellwood Thomas Whitten Jr. has been chief deputy for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office since 2013. He retired from the El Paso Police Department in 2009 and has 30 years of law-enforcement experience, including as chief in DeWitt, Iowa; Carlsbad, New Mexico; and Harlingen.

Whitten has a Master’s of Public Administration from Purdue Global University, Master’s of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Sul Ross State University and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Park University.