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Cedar Park names Michael Harmon as new police chief

Harmon is currently serving as the interim chief of police.

CEDAR PARK, Texas — The City of Cedar Park has named current Interim Police Chief Michael Harmon as the Chief of the Cedar Park Police Department. He will begin his new position on May 29, 2021.

Chief Harmon said he is looking forward to his new role with the Cedar Park Police Department.

“I would like to thank the City of Cedar Park for their confidence in my leadership throughout the past 15 months, and especially through the chief’s selection process,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “I also want to thank my officers, command staff and civilian personnel for their support and encouragement over the past years. I plan to extend my focus on the critically important issues of diversity, inclusion and equity that will strengthen our mission to serve the people who live, work and play in Cedar Park. Together we have worked hard to serve our community with honor and I am incredibly proud to take on this new role and to call Cedar Park my home!”

Chief Harmon joined the Cedar Park Police Department as a patrol officer in 1998 after serving in the Travis County Sheriff’s Office and the Austin ISD Police Department. Harmon was named assistant chief of the Cedar Park Police Department in 2013.

According to the City of Cedar Park, he will lead a department of 100 sworn officers and 33 civilian personnel and manage an annual budget of around $17 million.

“Chief Harmon holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Texas State University and a master’s degree in strategic leadership from Mountain State University,” the City said in a release. “He is a graduate of the 254th session of the FBI National Academy, the Leadership Command College (Law Enforcement Management of Texas) and the Senior Management Institute for Police presented by the Police Executive Research Forum. He has earned a master certification with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), is a certified mental health officer and holds a secret clearance through the Department of Homeland Security.”

Cedar Park City Manager Brenda Eivens said Chief Harmon was the right choice to lead the City’s department into the future.

“His strong credentials and proven leadership, particularly over the last 15 months he has served as interim chief, have been tested,” she said. “I am confident that Chief Harmon will continue to effectively lead the department, foster valuable community partnerships and actively engage with all of our residents.”

Harmon took over as interim police chief after former Cedar Park Police Chief Sean Mannix stepped down in February.

Mannix announced in January he was retiring after seven years with the department, but later accepted a position of chief at the Burnet Police Department.

In July, Mannix withdrew from that position hours before swearing in, due to a “personal decision.” Mannix is facing a lawsuit from former Leander High School football star Greg Kelley, who was exonerated from a sexual assault conviction.

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