Temple Police Department Has New Chief

The City of Temple this week welcomes a new police chief.

The Temple Police Department announced Tuesday that Shawn Reynolds began work as the department's chief Monday.

Chief Reynolds is a Navy veteran who comes to Temple from Olathe, Kansas, where he most recently served as Deputy Chief of Police over the Operations Bureau. He joined the department in 1996, and has held the positions of sergeant, lieutenant, captain, detective, undercover operative, field training officer, major, and investigations commander. Prior to his service in Olathe, he was an officer with the Leavenworth Police Department for two years.

"His desire to engage with the community set him apart during the interview process," City Manager Brynn Myers said Tuesday. "I am confident he will be a valuable asset for the Temple Police Department and the community as a whole."

Chief Reynolds was chosen late last month after a field of over 50 candidates was narrowed down to three. He enters service at the department during a tense and tumultuous time. Protests continue across the nation in the wake of George Floyd's death while being detained by police, and the family of Michael Dean, an African-American man fatally shot by a Temple PD officer late last year, are still awaiting the results of an investigation into Dean's death.

Chief Floyd will have a great deal of work to do in developing a positive relationship with the Temple community and leading the department. He will spend his first week of duty in Temple meeting with City officials and various units within the department.