City sets date for police chief finalists meet & greet

The City of San Marcos has arranged an opportunity for residents to meet the two police chief finalists Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Embassy Suites San Marcos Conference Center, Spring Lake Salon, 1001 E McCarty Ln.

Masks are required within the hotel and conference center and attendees should maintain social distancing guidelines during the reception event.  Masks may be removed while attendees are eating and drinking as light refreshments will be served.

A final decision and city council confirmation of the chosen candidate will be complete by early November.  

The city announced the two finalists, Chief Robert Brown and Chief Stan Standridge on Sept. 28 from a pool of 92 applicants from across the nation. Five candidates were interviewed before selecting the two finalists. 

The remainder of the interview process also includes one-on-one interviews with City Manager Bert Lumbreras on Oct. 15 and City Council confirmation of the chosen applicant at a meeting in late October or early November. Background investigations will also be conducted. 

Brown was appointed Chief of Police for the City of Duncanville, Texas on February 5th, 2007. Chief Brown began his law enforcement career in Waco, Texas as a police cadet in June of 1982. Brown served as a Field Training Officer in Waco and joined the University Park Police Department in 1994. He worked in many capacities and advanced through the ranks very quickly; becoming the first African American sergeant, lieutenant, and captain in the history of the University Park Police Department. 

Standridge has served more than 25 years with the Abilene Police Department, the last eleven as the Chief of Police. Chief Standridge currently serves as the President of the Texas Police Chiefs Association (TPCA), an organization which seeks to promote the professional practice of law enforcement and advocates for the highest standards of ethical conduct among today’s peace officers. He has chaired the State’s Officer Safety Committee and worked with his team to create VINCIBLE--a statewide program that works to reduce police officer line of duty deaths and injuries in Texas–which is used by more than 1,500 police agencies, including the San Marcos Police Department.