As Lakeland police chief nears retirement, a panel is getting to work to select the next one

Sara-Megan Walsh, The Ledger
·4 min read
Lakeland Police Chief Ruben Garcia is schedule to retire from his post in December. He was promoted to chief in January 2019 and has served more than 35 years with the department.
Lakeland Police Chief Ruben Garcia is schedule to retire from his post in December. He was promoted to chief in January 2019 and has served more than 35 years with the department.

LAKELAND — City Manager Shawn Sherrouse has about 100 days to find Lakeland's next chief of police.

Police Chief Ruben Garcia is slated to retire at the end of December after having led agency for four years. Garcia has served more than 35 years at the city's police department. He was enrolled in the state's Deferred Retirement Option Program, often called DROP, prior to his promotion as chief.

Sherrouse has put together a 10-member Chief of Police Interview Panel that includes a mix of interested community members as well as city employees whose jobs put them in close interaction with the police department. The panel's first scheduled meeting is Friday.

Funding public safety: Lakeland officials reverse course, hold city tax rate flat

More apartments: Lakeland planning board approves another 252 apartments off West Pipkin and Yates roads

Historic golf course: Wedgewood Golf Course developer offers concessions, neighboring residents push for more

"I've decided to start with an internal process based on the overwhelming feedback I've gotten from the community," Sherrouse said.

Two internal candidates who have applied to take leadership of the police agency are Assistant Chiefs Hans Lehman and Sammy Taylor.

Hans Lehman

Lehman, a Lakeland native, has served with the city's police department for more than 25 years. He had his first taste of public service at age 14 as a Lakeland Police Explorer and stayed active through college. Lehman started his professional career as a deputy with Polk County Sheriff's Office before being hired by LPD in 1996.

Lehman has worked in a wide variety of departments from hiring to criminal investigations. In 2013, Lehman was removed as head of LPD's Office of Professional Standards after being accused of tipping off a co-worker who was under state investigation for failure to complete DUI paperwork and lying under oath. Lehman was later cleared of any wrongdoing. He was promoted to assistant chief in February 2020. Lehman has since worked to drive the agency's hiring and innovative recruitment strategies, and worked to price body-worn cameras.  

Sammy Taylor

Taylor has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience. He was hired by Lakeland Police Department in 1989, according to the city's website. Throughout his career, Taylor has supervised officers in communications, criminal investigations, investigative services and special operations and uniform patrol divisions.

In recent years, Taylor led Lakeland's review of the city's controversial red light camera system in 2016. He's also been in charge of criminal investigations during the high-profile murders of former Lakeland commissioner Edie Yates Henderson and Doug Henderson in 2020. 

Who's on the panel?

The city sent emails to the 10 prospective members of the panel invited to interview the two candidates:

  • Ryan Back, president of the Lakeland chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police representing unionized officers.

  • William Boss, of the nonprofit Concerned Citizens of Polk County. The organization aims to facilitate meetings between government agencies and community-based organizations.

  • Doretha Brooks, secretary of the NAACP's Lakeland branch.

  • Financial Director Mike Brossart.

  • Assistant City Manager Emily Colón.

  • City Attorney Palmer Davis.

  • Lakeland Fire Chief Doug Riley.

  • Tonya Rogers, vice chair of the city's Neighborhood Association Coalitions and president of the Historic Dixieland association.

  • Shandale Terrell, chair of the city's Police Citizens Advisory Board.

  • Julie Townsend, executive director of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority.

Those invited to participate will be confirmed as part of the panel by their attendance at Friday's meeting, Sherrouse said.

The process

Sherrouse and Mark Farrington, the city's human resources director, will meet with the panel members Friday afternoon to go over the process, answer questions and start the process of developing questions for the two candidates.

On Monday, the panel will finalize their list of questions for the candidates. Lehman and Taylor are expected to meet with the panel that afternoon to answer questions.

The panel members will reconvene on Sept. 30 after a few days' reflection to provide their feedback to city staff. Sherrouse said he will have a better idea whether they are moving forward with an internal candidate or need to cast a wider net. If Lehman or Taylor is chosen, Sherrouse said he would expect to make that decision in October.

"If we are successful with an internal selection, we will have about a month of crossover between Chief Garcia's retirement and the named chief-in-waiting so they can transition together," the city manager said.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland forms 10-person panel to help select city's next police chief