NLC police chief
retires unexpectedly
By Tom Ritchey
Editor
Parting words relayed via e-mail; no reason
given for departure North Lake College’s
police chief unexpectedly retired last month.
Danny Morris announced on Dec. 3 that he would
retire from his position as North Lake’s
chief of police.
“This decision was difficult for me to
make,” said Morris in an e-mail to faculty
and staff.
Sam Showman has been appointed as interim chief
for North Lake until a new chief is hired.
Showman is a 30-year veteran of the Dallas County
Community College District and works part-time
at Richland College. He began his role as interim
chief on Dec. 7, and will be on campus Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday of each week.
He said his role is primarily to deal with matters
of administration and to oversee the department.
Day-to-day scheduling and normal police matters
were placed in the hands of Captain Doug Hutchins,
the second in command of the department.
A vacancy notice for the chief’s position
was posted in mid-January.
Christa Slejko, North Lake’s vice president
of business services, said the college is advertising
the position in state and national publications,
as well as within the district. “I’m
just looking for the best talent I can bring in,”
said Slejko. She added that the college is accepting
applications until Feb. 4, at which point a committee
will begin its first round of interviews.
Morris did not give much explanation as to why
he chose to retire and it is unknown what plans
the former chief has for the future. “I
am a very private person,” he said in his
e-mail to NLC faculty and staff. He also said
that his tenure with North Lake College has been
a “very fulfilling and rewarding experience.”
He further added, “Chief Showman is a very
qualified person to lead the police department.
With the many years of police service he has provided
to the district, I feel Christa has made an excellent
choice.”
Slejko said that his retirement was not related
to any single incident that has occurred on campus.
“This is a very hard gig,” Slejko
said, explaining that the job requires a person
who can exert the authority of a police officer
while being able to act as a bureaucrat.
She was unable to say how many applications have
been received thus far, but she hopes that a new
chief will be selected within two to three months.
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