Former HVPD captain named Bartonville police chief

Corry Blount, a longtime law enforcement officer in Highland Village and most recently with the Denton County Sheriff’s Office, will be the new Bartonville Chief of Police.

“He’s an excellent candidate with multiple years of experience,” said Mayor Bill Scherer during a 10-minute recess after the Bartonville Town Council voted unanimously to hire Blount on Tuesday. “We feel very honored and privileged to have him as our new police chief.”

Bartonville Town Administrator Stacey Almond also noted Blount’s experience and demeanor together made him the number one candidate.

“Blount is a highly respected law enforcement leader whose focus on communication and community policing will be a valuable asset to the town,” Almond said.

On Tuesday, Bartonville Town Council unanimously approved Blount’s hiring and amended the 2014-2015 fiscal year budget to increase the chief’s salary to $77,004 from the original base salary approved last fall at $62,500. According to an online records database, Blount was making an estimated $74,484 as captain with the Denton County Sheriff’s Office.

Blount was selected from a pool of candidates from across the country after the town council voted in August to appoint a search committee to review applications to fill the vacant position.

Blount most recently served as captain of support services for the Sheriff’s Office from February 2013 until turning in his notice. Before then, Blount rose through the ranks to the position of captain with the Highland Village Police Department where he worked from June 1996 through February 2013.

Certified as a TCOLE instructor with a master peace officer license, Blount is a 2003 graduate of the Leadership Command College of the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas and a 2011 graduate of the School of Executive Leadership from the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Midwestern State University in 2004.

In 2007, as a lieutenant, Blount was highlighted for his work with new surveillance cameras to monitor heavy traffic and curb potential burglaries at FM 2499 and FM 407 where The Shops at Highland Village were being built.

Blount is expected to begin his new position on Monday, Jan. 26. A public reception to welcome Blount is scheduled for 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 17 at Bartonville Town Hall.

Blount’s hiring follows a year of changes within the Bartonville Police Department.

Bartonville Police Officer Bobby Dowell was appointed as interim police chief in July following the resignation of former police chief Dave Howell. “The town council recognizes Officer Bobby Dowell for his leadership as interim chief for the last five months,” noted Almond in a news release. “He has done an excellent job in serving our town.”

The staffing size of the police department had been a contentious issue in the community during the past year. Howell resigned amid discussions among some town council members over disbanding the police department and contracting with neighboring law enforcement entities – an effort that was later abandoned.

In September, the Bartonville Town Council voted to approve police department staffing with a chief and three fulltime officers for the 2014-2015 fiscal year budget of $396,130 – about $100,000 less than the actual 2013-2014 expenditures of $497,616.29 for the police department as of Sept. 1, 2014, according to town documents.

During September budget discussions, three on the town council said they wanted to keep the department small, growing it only if crime increases while two town council members favored a larger police force as a deterrent to crime at a time when the town was expecting the opening of a major grocery store and other businesses in Lantana Town Center, which is currently under construction.

The search committee for the new police chief was comprised of Mayor Pro Tem Jim Langford, Councilmember Betty Medlock, Bartonville Crime Control and Prevention District Member Johnny Jones, Town Administrator Stacey Almond and citizen-at-large Jim Foringer. From more than 40 applicants, the committee selected three who were interviewed and recommended to the town council for consideration.