City of La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody will be announcing the new chief of police in an event planned for Monday, February 5 at 10:30 a.m. CT in the City Council Chambers in La Porte City Hall at 801 Michigan Avenue.
The new police chief will be sworn into office following the mayor’s appointment announcement.
Current Police Chief Paul Brettin, who has served on the department for nearly 30 years, will step down as chief Monday, February 5. He will remain on the force until May 23 in order to offer support and guidance to his replacement, as well as to use accrued time off.
Brettin first began his career with the La Porte Police Department in 1994 as a civilian desk officer. Since then, he’s worked in nearly every role in the department, including Field Training Officer, Chief of Detectives, Street Crimes Task Force member and several other leadership titles before ultimately becoming Chief in 2020.
During his four years at the helm, he has increased patrol with new UTV and eBike programs, prioritized mental health by bringing on the city’s first-ever Public Safety Social Worker, increased use of modern technology with drones, FLOCK license plate readers and wireless parking enforcement, and created new units like the Emergency Response Team and the Proactive Crime Team to help combat crime in the city.
