Outgoing Missouri City police chief bids 'bittersweet' farewell

Missouri City Police Chief Mike Berezin is leaving after serving the city for 34 years.
Courtesy City of Missouri City

The Fort Bend Star
By Ken Fountain
May 15, 2023

After more than three decades serving the residents of Missouri City, outgoing Police Chief Mike Berezin is heading home.

Well, close enough. Berezin, who this week concludes his 34-year tenure with the Missouri City Police Department, will shortly thereafter begin as chief of police in Dickinson in Brazoria County, next door to Galveston County, where he grew up.

Berezin joined the Missouri City Police Department as a 23-year-old rookie policeman in 1989, when he was already married with three children. At that time, the city's police officers and firefighters were cross-trained to perform each others jobs, and he remained in that capacity until in the mid-1990s when the departments were formally separated.

Berezin said he was not actively looking for another job. But he and his family often visited his "old stomping grounds" in Galveston County, and when the position in Dickinson opened up, he thought it was time to make a change.

"It's bittersweet," Berezin said of leaving the city where he's worked virtually his entire life. But going back with his wife to a place much closer to where they grew up was an opportunity he felt he couldn't pass up, he said.

"It's time, and it's a good fit," he said.

Berezin said he's enjoyed his entire career in Missouri City. He credits the attitude of the personnel, who he said have an overriding sense of serving the population with a high degree of professionalism.

He said residents have returned that professionalism with respect. Especially in recent years when relationships between police and the populace around the country have undergone a lot of turmoil, Berezin said Missouri City residents have had overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward officers.

In 2016, Berezin played a substantial role in developing President Obama's  Task Force Report on 21st Century Policing, a response to protests against police actions. The report outlined "Six Pillars" which have been widely adopted by police agencies across the nation.

A lot of the concepts outlined in the report were first discussed during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, but had been sidelined in the wake of widespread civil unrest over civil rights and the Vietnam War. Berezin said he was glad to have participated in an effort to bring them back to the fore. Berezin said the Six Pillars serve as an overall guide, but have to be adapted each community's unique needs.

He also related how, during a White House event where task force members were going to meet the President, he was pulled aside in full view of all of the participants. It turned out that one of Obama's security detail had begun as a rookie in the Missouri City police department, and he personally introduced Berezin to the President.

Berezin said the Six Pillars serve as an overall guide, but have to be adapted each community's unique needs.

During Berezin's time with Missouri City, the population has more than doubled, from 36,176 in 1990 to 74,259 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census. With that growth has come a lot of challenges, including for the emergency services personnel who are charged with protecting the residents.

Berezin said that there has been a lot of increased traffic that has come with the growth, he believes crime rates in Missouri City are in line with similar cities in the state and country.

Berezin praised City Manager Angel Jones for finally pushing through the recent overhaul of city salaries, including police and emergency services personnel, to make them more in line with competing jurisdictions. The lack of parity in salaries was a chief cause in the rate of vacancies on the force, he said.

Berezin said that while he leaves with some regret, he is hopeful that Missouri City and the police force are in a good position to move forward.