TEMPLE, Texas — The City of Temple announced Monday it had narrowed its list of candidates for police chief to three people.
The finalists include Pedro (Pete) Lopez, Jr., James (Jim) Lowery, Jr. and Shawn Reynolds.
The city said it will host a reception Thursday, March 26 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic and Convention Center for the public to meet the men.
The final selection process is scheduled for March 26 & 27.
The city used Strategic Government Resources to help them with the search. They considered 56 candidates from 22 states, with 23 applicants from Texas.
Candidate vetting included a comprehensive questionnaire, online interviews, a psychometric assessment, a thorough media search, and a rigorous background investigation, according to the city.
Jim Tobin has served as interim chief since Floyd Mitchell left last year.
Read more about the candidates below:
Pedro (Pete) Lopez, Jr. has 32 years of law enforcement executive experience in the nation’s fourth-largest city and fifth-largest municipal police agency. Lopez currently serves as the Assistant Chief of Police, Patrol Region 1 for the Houston Police Department, a position he has held since August 2018. He also served as the Assistant Chief of Police, Organizational Development Command and has held many other positions and ranks in the department since 1991. Prior to his career with the Houston Police Department, he held positions at the Harris County Sheriff’s Department in Houston and the Texas Department of Corrections in Huntsville, Texas. Additionally, Lopez has a military career that spans over 27 years.
Lopez holds a master’s degree in criminology from the University of Houston, a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Mountain State University and is a graduate of FBI National Academy Session 272. He is president of the Hispanic Officer of The Year Committee, Law Enforcement Advisor to the Houston Chapter of the Latino Peace Officer Association, Chair of the Houston Police Department Citizens Advisory Board, a member of the Administrative Personnel Committee, Chair of the Employee Early Warning System, a member of the FBI National Academy Association, and a member of the IACP.
James (Jim) Lowery, Jr. is a law enforcement executive with 37 years of policing experience. He currently serves as the Deputy Chief, Central Investigations Division for the Arlington, Texas, Police Department, a position he has held since January of 2018. Prior to this, he served as the department’s Deputy Chief, Field Operations Bureau - South District for four years. He has served in numerous positions and ranks in the department since 1983.
Lowery holds a master’s degree in strategic leadership and a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership, both from Mountain State University. He has a TCOLE Master Peace Officer’s License, National Incident Management System (FEMA) training, and has received many awards and accolades through the Arlington PD, including the Distinguished Service Award, Life Saving Award, SWAT Award, Community Service Award, Honor Guard Award, Police Officer’s Award, and Medal of Merit. He was salutatorian of the Basic Peace Officer Academy Class at Tarrant County Community College and received the Rotary District 5790 Vocational Excellence Award/Law Enforcement in 2017.
Shawn Reynolds is a law enforcement executive with 25 years of experience in leading a police agency in investigations, customer service, law and order, security, public service, law enforcement training, media operations, and police force activities. He currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Police-Operations for the Olathe, Kansas, Police Department, a position he has held since November of 2016. He previously served as the department’s Deputy Chief of Police-Administration and has held several other positions and ranks with the department since January of 1996. Prior to this, he served with the Leavenworth, Kansas, Police Department, and served as Radioman for the United States Navy for over five years.
Reynolds holds a master’s degree in organizational administration and a bachelor’s degree in management and human relations, both from MidAmerica Nazarene University, and is a graduate of the KLETC Kansas Police Administrators’ Seminar, National Academy’s FBI Session #244, and Southern Police Institute’s Administrative Officer’s Course. Reynolds is a member of IACP, the FBI National Academy Association, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Kansas Police Officer’s Association, and American Legion.
