In all the hubbub surrounding the overturn of the staff and leadership at City Hall, one person received little notice, the new Chief of the Kennedale Police Department. The Kennedale News would like to rectify that error by introducing Chief Mike Holguin.
Mike Holguin was officially appointed chief last year after the previous occupant, Darrell Hull, left to become Kennedale City Manager.
But Mike was in no way new to Kennedale or the local department. He had served as a reserve officer for the KPD for five years. He had also worked with the department briefly as the Director of Health, Safety, and Security for the Kennedale ISD. And, significantly he was encouraged to come out of retirement from law enforcement to take on the vacant job of Captain for the KPD in 2021.
Extensive background …
Holguin has over 27 years in law enforcement. Before coming to Kennedale, he had served with the Dallas Police Department, the Arlington Police Department, and the University of Texas System Police Department.
He has held positions of crime prevention officer, police sergeant, police commander, and Assistant and Acting Chief of Police. He has overseen units and operations that included specialized crime response teams, accident investigations, personnel and recruiting, criminal investigations, and the Arlington Police Department’s Special Investigations Division.
His duties with the UTA Police Department included overseeing the public information office, special events, personnel and hiring, training, internal affairs, parking and transportation, and technology.
And, notably has had specialized assignments that include security at Super Bowl XLV in his role as an operational and incident commander and has worked in collaborating with the WNBA regarding safety and security measures for the Dallas Wings.
He is a certified public school teacher, teaching criminal justice for three years, and was an instructor for the police academy. The new chief has a BA degree from UTA, MA from TCU, MBA from Amberton, and is a graduate of the Texas Leadership Command College and the FBI Leadership Command Institute.
A leader of any organization is so key to the success of that body. He/she is the public face and the one individual most often held accountable, fairly or not, for that achievement. The new face of the Kennedale Police Department is following recent examples of positive and capable leadership. Holguin has the experience, training, and expertise to be able to continue that tradition. We wish him well.
Read more @ City of Kennedale.
