The Taylor Press visited with new Police Chief Joseph Chacon this week for a quick question-andanswer session.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: “I’m a native Texan. I grew up in El Paso – born and raised. In 1992, I joined the El Paso Police Department and I worked there for six years. During that time, my wife and I visited Austin for some business stuff, and we really fell in love with Austin at that time. In 1998, they were recruiting, so we were able to make that transition, and I moved on to Austin PD in 1998 and worked there until 2023. I resigned from there after a 25-year career in Austin and six in El Paso for 31 years overall.” Q: What motivated you to get into law enforcement?
A: “When I talk to other officers, they tend to have a story about how they always wanted to be an officer. That was not me. I never thought about becoming a police officer. At the time, I was a night manager at a bowling center and we hired off-duty police officers as security. I was talking to them about careers, and they said, ‘Why don’t you look into becoming a police officer?’ That was literally the first time I thought about it, but as I started to look into it, it really started to excite me. As I graduated from the El Paso Police Academy and started doing the job, I thought, ‘This is the best job ever. I can’t believe I get paid to do this.’”
Q: What motivated you to apply for the chief’s position in Taylor?
A: “I retired in 2023 (as chief of the Austin Police Department) and was working in Pflugerville. But during that time, I had this longing in my heart to look into getting back in the profession because I really missed it. It was a bit serendipitous because I opened a website looking for what positions might be open, and the first thing that popped up was Taylor. That was really nice because my wife and I really love Taylor and I felt like it was the perfect opportunity.”
Q: What are the biggest differences between policing a big city such as Austin and a smaller town like Taylor?
A: “Police work is police work. We operate under the same set of laws and generally under the same set of policies. Even the ways we handle things from county to county are very similar. The biggest difference is going to be manpower and resources. Sometimes, the political climate can be different from city to city. What I have found here from Taylor is a great group of dedicated men and women who love this city and are dedicated to this city and policing here. It’s really nice to see that here.”
Q: What are your long-term plans for the Taylor Police Department?
A: “I have a number of vacancies – six – in the department. Right now, my No. 1 priority is getting those vacancies filled with good, quality folks. Once we do that, I think we need to be strategic and as the city grows, the department has to grow. Obviously, we need to do that within budget and we need to do that in a smart, intentional way. Let’s face it: Taylor is becoming a big city and the department is going to have to grow to manage that growth. We have a sworn-in staff of 34. We are hiring.”
