Jarrell welcomes new police chief, assistant chief as department grows

JARRELL, Texas - Jarrell police are getting not one, but two new department heads.

Jarrell City Council swore in Patrick South as the new police chief on Wednesday.

"We are so blessed to have somebody come in with this level of experience," said Danielle Singh, Jarrell’s city manager.

South comes from Elgin, where he was also the police chief.

Before that, he left the Austin Police Department as a commander after thirty years.

"It was the opportunity to make a change in the community," said South. "I knew that the department was relatively small, and there were kinds of a number of challenges to develop it. That’s something I've done in the past, and I enjoy doing."

Angela Mathews will start as the assistant chief in November. She comes from the Killeen Police Department.

The Jarrell Police Department gained a new police chief and assistant chief as the department continues to grow.

"There's a lot to do, and so Patrick will have the assistance," said Mathews. "Not just with the stuff he has to do in the community but also with the department itself, so that’s what I'm here for."

Both Mathews and South want to address the area's growth.

"Jarrell is a growing city, and it’s so much here, and I love the small-town feel, but I love that it’s growing as well," said Mathews.

Chief South said the police department will have to grow, too.

"You have to be way ahead of the game on that, so if you don’t stay ahead of hiring, recruiting, trying all your officers, you’ll fall way behind, as we can see from some of the bigger cities around us," said South.

Right now, city hall and the police department share a building.

At the rate this area is growing, South said the police department will need another building in the next year or so.

"It’s just building and developing the police department from where it is today to where it needs to be fully functional," said South.

But before he can break any ground on a new building, step one for South is getting to know the community.

Assistant Chief Mathews officially starts November 7.