Olney Chief Takes Top Cop Job in Vernon

Chief of Police Dan Birbeck has announced his resignation from the Olney Police Department after five years of service, accepting the position of Police Chief for the City of Vernon. Chief Birbeck’s final day on duty in Olney will be Friday, June 20. A farewell celebration will be held at the Olney Civic Center that day from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Chief Birbeck described the move as the next step in his career and a decision driven by his desire to be closer to family. “This is a bittersweet moment for me,” he said. “Serving as Chief of Police in Olney has been one of the greatest honors of my life. The people of this community are more than just residents — they are family. Together, we built a department that stands for integrity, service, and trust.”

When Chief Birbeck arrived in 2020, the Olney Police Department was emerging from a turbulent period following the arrest of its former chief in a federal civil rights investigation. Chief Birbeck quickly set about restoring community trust and strengthening department operations.

Under his leadership, the department expanded its services and modernized operations. He oversaw the implementation of regular restaurant health inspections, emergency preparedness drills in partnership with Olney Hamilton Hospital, and active shooter training for schools and businesses. Following the Uvalde school shooting, he consulted closely with Olney ISD on campus security and the installation of new storm shelters.

Chief Birbeck also championed mental health initiatives, securing a grant to fund a mobile mental health response program. He established a K-9 unit that aggressively targeted narcotics and was a vocal advocate for animal welfare.

He presided last month over the grand opening of the Olney Police Department’s new public safety building, which was built without taxpayer funds and comports with the technology standards of the Texas Police Chiefs Association.

The new police station boasts a state-ofthe- art evidence management and storage system, updated infrastructure, modern workspaces, and individual offices for each of the department’s officers.

“We can now offer an environment that promotes retention, satisfaction, and excellence in service,” Chief Birbeck said.

The new police station is adjacent to the Olney Civic Center, which allows the police station to serve as a training facility, community gathering space, emergency shelter, and command center in times of crisis, he said.

In a 2021 interview with the Olney Enterprise, Chief Birbeck said: “We have made substantial progress. The community, from the feedback we’ve gotten, is feeling the changes in town and that the crime is not as predominant or in your face as it was six months ago.”

Those efforts resulted in a department that now includes a full staff, a full-time criminal investigator, and a dedicated school resource officer. “That was one of my first missions,” he said at the time. “To get a police officer on the campus and to make sure our children are protected.”

In his new role, Chief Birbeck will lead a larger department in Vernon, overseeing 21 sworn officers, two full-time animal control officers, two dispatchers, and civilian inspectors.

As he prepares to leave, Chief Birbeck remains committed to the community he helped transform. “My goal has always been to make the police department something the citizens of Olney are proud of,” he said. “And I believe we’ve done just that.”

Olney Mayor Rue Rogers said the City Council will appoint an interim chief of police at their next meeting on June 23.

Mayor Rogers said the City was “forever grateful for Chief Birbeck’s leadership over the past five years.”

“He and his department have done a tremendous job of helping make Olney a safer and better community. We are saddened to see him go, and he will be extremely missed. We wish him nothing but the very best in his next chapter as the Chief of Police with the City of Vernon.”

City Councilman Steve Nurre was “sad to see the Chief go.”

“We are definitely losing an asset to the community,” he said.