After a combined three hours behind closed doors Tuesday night, the Pinehurst City Council came out and voted to relieve Steven Stroud of his duties, with pay, as Police Chief and City Administrator.
Stroud was hired just over a year ago as the new police chief and then in June he talked council into a second paycheck as they hired him to become the city manager after the retirement of Jerry Hood.
When Stroud was hired as chief the small staff of officers were either fired, replaced or quit. When he became city administrator some left and several others were rumored to be looking elsewhere if council did not make a change.
While council was in closed session Stroud had to share council chambers for two hours in front of a room full of people who wanted him gone. Then after council pulled him behind doors to give him the news, he left through the back door before council officially voted him out.
Recently the city reached a settlement with one of the officers that Stroud terminated without due process. Besides ruling with an iron fist, he’s also been accused of using city vehicles for his personal use and ordering two of his officers to look at old body cam videos of former officers, looking for policy violations.
The Texas Municipal Police Association got involved and said Stroud’s application for prior experience does not match his records with TCOLE (Texas Commission on Law Enforcement). TCOLE is a state regulatory agency responsible for setting standards, licensing, and ensuring the ethical training of peace officers in Texas. TMPA Attorney Marsha Todd said he had no experience that would qualify him for Police Chief or City Administrator. She met with Pinehurst City Attorney Tommy Gunn and demanded the city do what’s right for the citizen’s of Pinehurst. She also believed having both titles was a conflict of interest.
Todd, who was in attendance with Field Representative Robby Campbell , told KOGT, “I’m proud of city council for making the bold decision to suspend their police chief tonight. I’m thankful to TMPA for trusting me to serve their members and for standing up to leaders who fail to lead. The Office of Chief of Police comes with an incredible amount of responsibility; not only to the officers that served under him, but also to the 2,232 citizens of the city of Pinehurst. I believe this Police Chief failed them all. I urge city council, in their next search for a Police Chief, to seek out and hire a candidate, who is the most qualified with the necessary experience to fill the role, and most importantly, one who has the ability to lead this police department and serve the citizens of Pinehurst with the level of integrity they deserve.
After the meeting Gunn said the city personnel will continue to serve the citizens while they begin the search to fill those two positions.
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