LAKEWAY, Texas — The Lakeway City Council accepted Police Chief Todd Radford's resignation during its meeting Monday night. Radford's resignation takes effect on June 7.
Radford spoke at the city council meeting and said he submitted his resignation "upon request," but did not say who exactly requested the resignation or what led up to the decision. KVUE asked the City of Lakeway who requested Radford's resignation, but we have not received a response yet.
"It has been my honor to be the chief of police, and I cannot imagine what these 14 years had been like had I missed this opportunity in my life," Radford said at the city council meeting. "Many of you know I'm a man of faith. I believe that whatever happened is for a purpose. It may not be for my purpose, but it will be for someone. So, I will say to you what I typically say to everybody: May all of you be well. May you be blessed."
"I have served honorably, in my opinion, for three mayors and felt like I have gone above and beyond what has been asked of me," Radford said. "[The Lakeway Police Department's] accolades are numerous, our rewards are many and our respect is wonderful in a time that law enforcement is no longer seen that way in many communities."
Several people who spoke at the city council meeting asked the council to not accept Radford's resignation. One person called it a "forced resignation," but did not specify why they believed the resignation was forced.
"Unfortunately, there are not – there's not much we can say when it comes to personnel issues, and I would leave it at that," Councilmember Sanjeev Kumar said during the meeting.
Several people in the audience started yelling while the city council was making a motion to accept the chief's resignation, but ultimately, the motions related to the chief's resignation carried unanimously.
Radford submitted his resignation on Friday afternoon. According to a news release from the City, the City plans to immediately begin a search to find a replacement for Radford.
According to the City of Lakeway's website, Radford has a background in law enforcement spanning 31 years. He has held his current position as chief since 2009 and has worked for the Lakeway Police Department for 14 years. The City's website says Radford was the first police chief in Texas to start using body cameras on a patrol force. He was also the first to have his entire patrol force certified as mental health officers.
In 2016, Radford ran for Travis County sheriff as a Democrat but lost in the primary to current Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez.
During the city council meeting Monday night, Radford did not specify what his future plans are.
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