Bryan City Council Approves A Ninth Amendment To The Contract To The Design Of Midtown Park

City Of Bryan Announces An Interim Police Chief

The city of Bryan announces an interim police chief. BPD’s assistant chief for support services Dean Swartzlander will be in charge after Eric Buske’s retirement a week from Friday (June 7). Swartzlander has started his fifth year as one of three assistant chiefs, as part of a 27 year career with the department. A city statement says no decision has been made on the process for selecting a permanent successor to Buske, who was Bryan’s chief for 15 years. Statement from the city of Bryan: City Manager Kean Register has named Assistant Police Chief Dean Swartzlander as interim chief effective June 8. Assistant Chief Swartzlander has been with the department for 27 years and has been serving as assistant chief overseeing support services since March 2020. “We are fortunate to have an individual within the department, who has experience, expertise, and is qualified to serve as the interim police chief. In Chief Buske’s absence in the past, Assistant Chief Swartzlander has served as the acting chief with professionalism and has demonstrated strong leadership qualities,” said City Manager Kean Register. “As the next steps to permanently fill the police chief position are considered, I am confident Assistant Chief Swartzlander will serve the community well, while leading and representing the Police Department with honor and integrity.” A decision has not yet been made on whether or not the candidate search will be internal, statewide, or nationwide. A definitive timeline does not exist at this time. Original story May 15, 2024: For the first time in 15 years, the city of Bryan will be searching for a new police chief. A news release from the city says Eric Buske is retiring, effective June 7, after a 40 year career. City manager Kean Register says he aims to find a successor who will continue the progress Buske made. Those accomplishments include adding more than two dozen officers and five other positions, equipping all staff with body worn cameras, and contributing to the creation of a training center and shooting range at Twin Oaks Landfill. Register has not named an interim chief and has not decided on the process for selecting the new police chief. News release from the city of Bryan: After 15 years of dedicated service to the City of Bryan, and 40 total years in law enforcement, Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske has announced his retirement, effective June 7. Under Chief Buske’s leadership, Part 1 Crime was significantly reduced by over 50% since 2009. Other accomplishments by Chief Buske include forming the Mental Health Unit to better assist those in crisis, the implementation of weekly COMPSTAT meetings to enhance internal communication and crime tracking, the establishment of a training center/range built in partnership with BVSWMA, and the introduction of Body Worn Cameras for all staff. He also expanded the department’s capabilities by adding more than two dozen police officers, created a digital evidence technician position, increased the size of the crime lab by two positions, added a supervisor for the Property and Evidence Unit and an investigator to the Criminal Evidence Unit. Outside of the department, Chief Buske created collaboration efforts and partnerships within the law enforcement community by co-founding the area chiefs’ monthly meetings and the East Central Texas Police Chiefs Association, where he also serves as President. “The level of crime reduction that has occurred during Chief Buske’s tenure speaks volumes to the type of leader that he is; his accomplishments will have a lasting impact on the Bryan Police Department and the City of Bryan as a whole,” said Bryan City Manager Kean Register. “We aim to find a candidate who will be committed to continuing the progress that Chief Buske has made in enhancing the safety and well-being of our community.” City Manager Kean Register will soon appoint an interim police chief to ensure continuity in operations and will initiate the selection process to hire a new police chief. A decision has not yet been made on whether or not the candidate search will be internal, statewide, or nationwide. A definitive timeline does not exist at this time.

College Station City Council Discusses Recruiting More National Retailers

The College Station city council and its staff spent one hour at its last meeting (May 23rd) discussing economic development initiatives. Part of that discussion involved recruiting more national retailers. The city’s assistant economic development director, Brian Piscacek, said staff and their consultant are trying “to get a better sense (from prospects) of how much space they need” and “where do they want to be”, such as near campus or in south College Station. In response, councilwoman Elizabeth Cunha said “wherever they (retailers) want to be, we’ve got shoppers.” Piscacek also brought up College Station’s Costco store and the construction of specialty outdoors retailer REI as examples to show other national prospects. Piscacek said half of those shopping at the local Costco are not from the College Station/Bryan area. When asked about recruiting Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, Piscacek said “they’re on our list” and “we’re looking at all avenues” to bring both to College Station. The city and its outside consultant on retail recruiting had three focus areas according to presentation materials: retail/entertainment, destination/specialty retailers, and restaurants that are not currently in Brazos County. Click below to hear comments from the May 23, 2024 College Station city council meeting.  

Memorial Day Gunfire In Bryan And College Station

Bryan police report gunfire at three in the morning on Memorial Day struck no one. Officers found five shell casings from a shotgun that was fired in the Castle Heights neighborhood of east Bryan. The BPD arrest report says there was a domestic disturbance where the man who lives at the home struck his ex-girlfriend in the face then fired the shotgun. The ex-girlfriend and three others ran away. 34 year old Tobias Mitchell was arrested for family violence assault causing bodily injury and four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. As of May 28, Mitchell is jailed in lieu of bonds totaling $124,000 dollars.   The evening of Memorial Day, College Station police respond to multiple shots being fired at an apartment complex. CSPD social media says no one was injured following the gunfire near the pool area at The Woodlands complex at Harvey Mitchell and Wellborn. An undisclosed number of shell casings were found by officers. As of Tuesday afternoon (May 28) no arrests have been made. Anyone with video and/or other information about what happened Monday night around 9:30 is asked to call CSPD at 979-764-3600 and refer to case number 2024-003909.