Following a 4-3 vote of the Beaumont City Council to deny City Manager Kenneth Williams’ finalist for the Beaumont Police Department (BPD) Chief of Police position on July 12, the city’s top administrator set about selecting a candidate on which the majority of the elected body can agree.
As expressed during the vote to deny Williams’ last selection, the council majority sought to look within the ranks of the city’s current law enforcers to hire locally. After interviewing candidates that did not make Williams’ original final cut, the city manager has brought four new candidates to light the forefront. A candidate in the original final cut is also still in the running.
As confirmed for The Examiner, the local canidates under consideration include Jason Plunkett, Tim Ocnaschek, Chris Schuldt and Onafre Tyler of BPD. It has been additionally confirmed that, the week of July 22, Williams also interviewed Beaumont ISD Chief of Police Joseph S. Malbrough as a potential candidate for the BPD Chief of Police position.
Leading a department of 80 at BISD, Malbrough previously worked as a Texas State Trooper and Deputy Constable for Jefferson County Pct. 8; he received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Kaplan University, according to BISD.
Of the BPD applicants, Plunkett, Ocnaschek and Schuldt rose to the rank of captain March 17, 2016, while Tyler was promoted to captain Jan. 11, 2023.
Serving as Assistant Chief of Police for BPD since 2022, Plunkett was originally the sole local finalist and the favored pick by the council majority on decision day. The longtime BPD law enforcer additionally earned the endorsement of the Beaumont Police Officers Association, an endorsement made after considering Plunkett’s 33-year career in law enforcement at the local police department. Plunkett is a Lamar University graduate, where he earned his undergraduate and Master of Science in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration.
Ocnaschek heads the emergency management department for the city of Beaumont, serving as Emergency Management Coordinator, and is an adjunct instructor at Lamar Institute of Technology. He completed his undergraduate degrees at Lamar and earned his Master of Public Administration from Midwestern State University. He has been a police officer for 39 years, has served BPD for 33 of those years, and currently serves as captain.
Schuldt is also a Lamar University graduate, has served BPD for more than 20 years, and currently serves as captain. Schuldt has served as leadership for the SETX Auto Theft Task Force and followed his father’s footsteps in service for the community throughout his tenure with BPD.
Earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Lamar University, Tyler has served BPD for 18 years and currently serves as captain. During his tenure, Tyler has served in many departments and as leadership in many capacities, such as Unit Commander for the SETX Auto Theft Task Force, where he also served as an investigator.
Prior finalists for the local police chief position – except for Plunkett – were plucked from various communities throughout the U.S. Among those making the final four with Plunkett during the last round of interviews and selection process were Kyra Joy Hope of Detroit, Michigan; Troy Price of Vancouver, Washington; and Britta Steinbrenner, formerly of Pepperdine University. Williams, selecting Price as his choice for the police chief position, was rejected by council following deliberation of the elected body.
According to Williams, he will announce his selection by July 26. The selection will be considered at the upcoming city council meeting slated for Tuesday evening, July 30, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, where the council will once again vote to approve or deny the city manager’s recommendation.
Should the city manager and council not be able to come to an agreement, an interim police chief would need to be selected given that current Chief of Police Jimmy Singletary is slated to officially retire July 31. The interim chief would be chosen completely at Williams’ discretion without the need for council approval.