Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi recommended and the council approved Travis Crouch as the new chief. The council approved the mayor’s recommendation with a vote of 4 to 1 with Councilman Ron Bias the lone dissenting vote.
Crouch, who is a lieutenant with department and has been on the city’s police force for 22 years, officially began as police chief today. He takes over from Assistant Chief Glenn Blanco who has led the department since September after former Chief Marc Folse retired. Folse had been chief since 2009.
“We’ve exhausted everybody,” Grizzaffi said at Tuesday’s city council meeting. “Six qualified candidates all deserve to be the chief. The problem is you can only name one.”
Crouch, 45, said he is planning to make some immediate, noticeable changes as well as some more gradual changes within the department, but said he did not want to say yet what they would be because he has yet to speak with all the personnel within the department. During his time with the department, he has served on the street crime unit, the narcotics division, road patrol and for the past five or six years, has headed up the narcotics division, he said.
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