By Steven Alford
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
One of Police Chief Troy Riggs’ first actions after taking over in fall 2009 was shuffling top ranked officers and placing them in new units.
Now more reorganizations are coming.
In June, two commanders and two captains will be reassigned to cultivate fresh perspectives and diverse leaders. Riggs brought the philosophy with him from his last job in Louisville.
“I like to move people around about every two years,” Riggs said. “You want to make sure you have a well-rounded workforce. A good manager can run any unit of the department.”
This group of command staff all have been on the force for decades and have seen nearly every facet of the department.
Cmdr. Mark Schauer has overseen patrol for more than a year and now will move to support services, also known as internal affairs. He’ll be switching places with Cmdr. Santiago Escalante. Also switching positions are Capt. John Houston, who has overseen the narcotics division the past year, and Capt. David Cook, who has been in charge of training and the SWAT Team for nearly four years.
Schauer said his heart always has been in patrol, but he’s willing to take a new assignment and put his own spin on it.
“Every job I get gives me a little more perspective and information,” he said. “I think it’s given a real depth of knowledge to the department.”
All bring a fresh level of expertise to their respective positions, Riggs said. He’s hoping to foster leaders who constantly revaluate how each division operates.
“We always need to challenge what we’re doing and how we can do it better,” Riggs said. “If you put a manager in a new position, they will build off the success of the person before them and take it to a new level.”
Escalante said there was a different management style in place before Riggs arrived.
Many officers would work the same division for years, even decades. Escalante worked a nineyear stint in the narcotics division.
“I think it’s an excellent philosophy,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with new people and learning new things.” Should an assistant chief or chief position open in the future, Riggs believes the city will have a wealth of internal candidates from which to choose, each with an indepth knowledge of how the department works.
“I believe they could look inside and find some really great people,” Riggs said. “I think our workforce and our citizens deserve that.”
Houston will move from narcotics to training. Schauer will move from patrol to support services. Escalante will move from support services to patrol. Cook will move from training to narcotics.