Olney Bids Farewell to Chief Birbeck
The citizens of Olney and beyond gathered on Friday, June 20, to honor and bid farewell to Police Chief Dan Birbeck, who is stepping down after five years of dedicated service to become the new police chief in Vernon.
Chief Birbeck’s final “on call” day was marked by a farewell luncheon at the Olney Civic Center, where a steady stream of well-wishers came to express their gratitude and say goodbye. The event drew law enforcement officers from across Young County, as well as city officials, residents, and colleagues who worked closely with Chief Birbeck during his tenure.
The celebration was organized by a team of devoted community members: Anna Rogers, Melody Rogers, Meghan Austin, OPD Detective Autumn Thames, and police dispatcher Brandy Blodgett. Together, they created an event that reflected the deep appreciation the community feels for Chief Birbeck’s leadership and character, as well as a few digs at the “Traitor” who was “abandoning” Olney.
“I’m very proud of him and happy for their family but still devastated and sad over our loss and mine especially since I was his assistant and I thought I was going to be his last assistant until he retired,” Ms. Blodgett said. “Chief wasn’t just my boss, he made himself family and the loss is very deeply felt, so as much as I wish him the very best over there. I hope he’s miserable over there, which I know he won’t be. I already know he is going to do a phenomenal job for the department and the citizens of Vernon, they don’t even realize yet how blessed they were to get him.”
Chief Birbeck, who came to Olney in 2020 following a tumultuous period for the police department, led with a focus on professionalism, transparency, and community service.
During his tenure, he implemented a wide range of programs, including health inspections for local restaurants, active shooter preparedness for schools and businesses, and a mobile mental health response unit funded by a grant he helped secure in Austin.
He also played a key role in strengthening school safety, consulting with Olney Independent School District on its security plans and storm shelter initiatives. A passionate advocate for animal welfare, Chief Birbeck supported the department’s K-9 unit and fought aggressively against drug-related crimes in the city.
Mayor Rue Rogers said Olney will “try to keep the positive momentum” created by Chief Birbeck going.
“We will try to continue building on the great foundation that Birbeck put together,” he said. “The next person’s got big shoes to fill.”
The City Council will appoint an interim police chief, finalize the job description and post it this week on municipal job sites, Mayor Rogers said.
There is no timeline on how long that will take,” he said. “The first thing is naming an interim.”
Chief Birbeck reminisced about his five years in Olney, as he worked his way through the crowd that came to see him off.
“When I took over five years ago in July 2020, Olney had some serious issues going on - rampant crime, mistrust of the police department and really didn’t have a lot of legitimacy,” he said. “We hit the ground running and had a great team. We drove the crime rate down the the legitimacy up and I am definitely leaving in a lot better shape than I found it.”
Justice of the Peace Joey Stewart described Chief Birbeck as a “great guy and a great leader, a hard worker. I can’t say enough about him. It’s going to be a hard loss,” he said.
Detective Thames, who worked with Chief Birbeck when he served as a Young County Sheriff ’s reserve deputy, said she watched the City of Olney transform under his tenure as police chief. When he recruited her to come work for him last year, she immediately accepted.
“It wasn’t because of me, it was because of the team,” Chief Birbeck said in response to the accolades from Mayor Rue Rogers and others. “Without these guys and gals on the street, I could not have done it. I pray that the streak continues. The backbone is there, you just need to continue it.”