The Boerne Police Department had its new top-tier leaders take office Friday as both Chief Steve Perez and Assistant Chief Cody Lackey were officially sworn into their new roles.
First up, Perez was sworn into his new role as BPD chief of police by the interim police chief and former assistant chief Jeff Page on Friday morning in the Cana Ballroom at the St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church surrounded by family, friends, fellow law enforcement agents and city officials. Perez’s wife of 21 years, Kathleen, and his two sons, Diego and Max, stood by his side as we was sworn in.
But first, Boerne’s City Manager Ben Thatcher and Mayor Tim Handren had a few kind words to say about the 22-year BPD veteran.
“So, as I sat back and came up with that list of qualities and characteristics that I thought were important for our community and for our department, I could see those easily in Steve,” Thatcher said of Perez. “And I know you, who know him well, can agree with me there. But I also want to share with you the other aspects of what I think Steve brings to this role. …
“You will not be surprised to know that Steve is a big family man. Family is important to him. He talks about his wife and his boys all the time. You know that he is a man of faith. He understands what it means to love your neighbor, which is really important in those attributes we talked about. Integrity, he wears it on his sleeve. But lastly, I think the most important attribute that really resonates with me is he’s a man of great humility.”
Given his lifelong experience around city management and police departments, Thatcher said he contemplated a list of important qualities needed in a potential Boerne police chief, including the ability to show integrity and honesty, open mindedness, accessibility, a commitment to diversity and the ability to lead – through the ability to develop alternatives, problem solve, manage employees effectively and lead the police department by example.
These are all qualities Thatcher said he found in Perez, which was furthered by both Page’s and former BPD Police Chief Jim Kohler’s recommendations that Perez be made the next chief.
“I got to tell you, a lot of you may not know, I grew up in a career city manager family,” Thatcher said, showing how much thought and insight was put into Perez’s promotion. “I’ve been around local government and public service my whole life. So when you’re the son of a city manager who’s been across the state of Texas you learn really quickly how important a police chief is to a city manager to a community, and so having hopped around chiefs of police departments my whole life, I knew what was important here, what was at stake.”
Handren, speaking on behalf of all Boerne city councilmembers, said the Boerne City Council is very excited about Perez’s new role. Calling Perez an overachiever, Handren pointed out the top-dog role in a police department is often reserved for the tail end of an officer’s career, but Perez is nowhere near the end of his career.
Handren went through the core values the city has outlined for its staff and officials, stating that Perez has shown his values align with those set forth by the city. But, integrity was a poignant word repeated by Handren and repeatedly shown by Perez.
“Of the core values introduced, the number one is integrity,” Handren said. “If we think about what integrity means, integrity: doing the right thing at all times regardless of who’s watching. We see across the country there are people who struggle with integrity all the time, or even at minor times. If someone’s not watching, do they do the right thing? I don’t think we have a question about Steve’s integrity at all.”
Handren said integrity leads into character, saying Perez has an incredible character. He said the community can count on Perez for “a shot of humor” or to be a serious leader when they need it. Handren said respect is another core value in the city, which he said Perez has always displayed.
Before his swearing in, Perez told The Star his first mission in his new role is to work on building the police department’s command staff. Then, he wants to tackle some projects put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, like the Citizens Police Academy and recruiting new department staff.
In his time with the BPD, Perez said one of the most helpful aspects of his experience in taking on his new role is having the chance to get to know the community he’s serving.
“It’s not just a job,” Perez said. “It’s a whole lifestyle change – living here and knowing the residents, knowing everyone.”
Perez said with the city’s rapid growth, there may be challenges the police department will face that haven’t been seen before, but he displayed no doubt the department can handle whatever may come its way.
Lackey was sworn in that afternoon at the training facility at the Boerne Police Department by his new chief, accompanied by his wife, Jamie; his daughter, Olivia; his two sons, Jarrett and Hunter; and his brother-in-law who also works in law enforcement, Jacob Leslie.
Lackey began his law enforcement career with the BPD 18 years ago, starting as a dispatch officer as a teenager, and he has worked his way through the ranks, officially reaching second in command Friday afternoon.
In taking on his new role, Lackey said he also is most focused on getting the open staff positions at BPD filled, adding the department is currently down six employees, and he said he is also focused on getting leadership command in place.
He said he would also like to expand the use of license plate readers, saying the equipment has led to solving several vehicle burglaries in Boerne especially by scanning plates at business or locations where previously unsolved vehicle burglaries were committed.
Lackey said Boerne is fortunate to have a low violent crime rate, but he said such equipment could lead to reducing the city’s higher property crime rate. He did, however, note that a majority of the property crime in the city can be traced back to San Antonio, with individuals coming into Boerne through the Interstate 10 corridor.
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