University Park Names Police Chief
Greg Spradlin, who has served as University Park’s interim police chief since Gary Adams’ resignation in September, has been promoted to the top job. He’ll be officially sworn in at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Spradlin has been with the UPPD since 2004. The full news release is pasted after the jump.
The City of University Park is pleased to announce that Greg Spradlin has been appointed Chief of Police. He will be sworn in during the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, November 19. Since September, when Gary Adams left the agency to head a police department in Arkansas, Spradlin has been serving as Interim Chief.
Chief Spradlin’s law enforcement career began in 1985 with the Texarkana, Texas Police Department. While with that department, he worked as a K-9 officer and was a 12-year member of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT Team. In 1996 he was promoted to Captain. He served as Operations Division Commander until leaving the agency in 2003.
Chief Spradlin joined the University Park Police Department in 2004. Working first as a patrol officer, in 2006 he was promoted to Sergeant. Shortly after that he began supervising the department’s Criminal Investigation Division. In 2009, Spradlin was promoted to Captain of the Operations Division. Last May he took command of the department’s Support Services Division.
In addition to his extensive experience at patrol, operational and command levels, Chief Spradlin holds a B.A in criminal justice from Texas A&M at Texarkana, and has a master’s degree in management from Amberton University. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, he is also certified as an Instructor and Master Peace Officer by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
Commenting on the appointment of Chief Spradlin, City Manager Bob Livingston said, “Greg’s experience, education and personality make him the ideal person to lead the University Park Police Department. Since his arrival, he has worked in virtually all operational areas of the department. He knows the department’s officers and many other City employees. Having worked closely with them, he has the confidence and respect of the City’s other department directors. I look forward to working with him and watching him move UPPD forward.”
Commenting on the announcement, Chief Spradlin said, “It’s an honor to be selected to serve the citizens of University Park as their police chief. The men and women in this agency have a great deal of talent. I look forward to working closely with each of them so that we can continue to provide quality customer service to our citizens.”
Chief Spradlin will lead a department that has 52 full-time and 17 part-time employees. UPPD has an annual budget of more than $6.7 million.
