City of Lubbock meets Lubbock Chief of Police finalist, all four looking to tackle high crime rate

LUBBOCK, Texas — The City of Lubbock invited the public to the civic center Thursday night to meet the four finalists for Chief of the Lubbock Police Department.

Lubbock City Manager, Jarrett Atkinson said they started the search months ago with 17 qualified applicants. They are now down to the final four.

Atkinson said ultimately, they are looking for someone with the experience to handle the high crime rate Lubbock has had over the last few years.

“Really looking for a demonstrated ability and a focus to work on crime rates, public safety is number one for us,” Atkinson said.

The finalists have different ideas of how to tackle the high crime rates here in Lubbock.

Deputy Chief of the Allen Police Department, Kenneth Meyers, said he’d like to invest in officers and staff to ensure they’re around for the long haul.

“One of the things we need to do is empower our officers to go out and do the job we hired them to do, to support them, to make sure their basic needs are met, that their training is met, that their equipment levels are met,” Meyers said.

Myers served as a Police Officer/Detective for the Trophy Club, Westlake Department of Public Safety before joining the Allen Police Department in 2000. Myers became Deputy Chief of the Patrol Services Division in Allen in 2020.

The Deputy Chief of the Albuquerque Police Department, Michael Smathers said, he wants to involve the community and other agencies to address crime.

“My primary focus is going to be on violent crime, but doing it in cooperation with the community, trying to partner with them instead of just coming in and policing them, listening to them, working with some mutual solutions,” Smathers said.

Smathers served the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for 25 years, rising to the rank of Major before joining the Albuquerque Police Department as its first outside Deputy Chief in 2019. Smathers currently serves as a Deputy Chief/First Deputy Chief.

Chief of Police and Assistant Vice President for the Methodist Health System in Dallas, Glen Fowler, said he knows Lubbock well. ​​

Chief Fowler began his career in Lubbock rising to the rank of Captain in the Lubbock Police Department, then serving as Deputy Chief for the Allen Police Department and Chief for the Watauga Police Department before joining the Methodist Health System Police Department as Chief.

“I know about all the different neighborhoods, I know how those neighborhoods have progressed over the years, the problems they still have, the things that can still be done in those neighborhoods,” Chief Fowler said.

Chief Seth Herman, with the Midland police department, said he is not too far from home, looking to hone in on criminals causing the crime.

“All it requires is a concerted focus on attacking the crime and identifying those who are committing the crimes,” Chief Herman said. “Once you identify the criminals, then you go after, and statistically speaking, the only way to lower the crime rate is to put criminals in jail.”

Herman began his career with the Midland Police Department as a Patrol Officer and has served as the Chief of Police since 2018. He has 28 years of service to the Midland Police Department and community.

According to LPD’s annual report, crime rates are trending downwards in the hub city, and Atkinson said he’d like to keep that going with the right man as head of the department.

“We’ve got our numbers moving in the right direction, We can do more,” Atkinson said. “I want somebody with a focus on that commitment to the community. Of course, a commitment to the men and women that are the Lubbock Police Department. And I think we’ve got a good shot now at getting that.”

Atkinson welcomed feedback from everyone who attended and said he will take that feedback to make a final decision on the new department head May 14.

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