Pearland council ratifies appointment of Derek Dunham as police chief

Pearland City Council on Monday ratified the city manager's appointment of Assistant Chief Derek Dunham as the city's next police chief, effective June 15. The vote followed an executive session and passed unanimously, 7-0.

Before the vote, Scott McReynolds, vice president of the Pearland Police Officers Association, addressed the council to endorse Dunham. "Assistant chief Dunham has consistently demonstrated exemplary leadership throughout his 16 year career with the Pearland Police Department," McReynolds said, urging the council to ratify the appointment.

Council member Tony Carbone moved to ratify the appointment; the motion carried on a unanimous voice vote after executive session.

Also during public comments, David Tilbury, president of the Pearland Professional Firefighters Association, thanked the council for advancing civil service discussion for firefighters and noted broad community engagement. No council member spoke against the appointment during the open meeting.

The council recessed and returned from executive session before taking the ratification vote. The record shows the appointment was authorized without recorded dissent; the effective date in the motion is June 15.