By Edmond Ortiz
Castle Hills Police Department is experiencing an unexpected leadership change following the department head’s abrupt resignation.
What is happening
Gary McHone recently submitted his resignation as police chief, less than seven months after he took office. Jose Davila, who was promoted to captain and patrol commander last November, was named interim police chief.
City officials announced the new April 10 via social media, thanking McHone for his service, and offering brief details about Davila’s career.
“The city wants to thank Police Chief G. McHone for his service to the CHPD and community, and the city wishes him the best in future endeavors,” the city announcement stated.
McHone’s departure comes one month after City Council scheduled an evaluation of the police chief in what was supposed to be an executive session. But McHone asked to address council in open session, discussing concerns that he said have resulted in decreasing morale among uniformed personnel in his department.
Mayor J.R. Trevino told council that there were other concerns surrounding McHone’s decision to revise police department policy one month into his tenure as chief, specifically the limitation of police pursuits to violent felonies. The revised pursuit policy, according to local officials, now excludes situations such as suspected intoxicated drivers, hit-and-run incidents, and certain property crimes.
What they are saying
McHone said he had sought input from fellow police department personnel toward updating the pursuit policy and any other CHPD policies he considered outdated or in need of fine tuning. He added that the new policy was implemented to enhance safety for the involved police officers and the overall public, reduce liability, and align with emerging statewide standards.
“The entire policy manual, as I know it, was last updated in 2021. So, the policy manual itself, holistically, is five or more years old,” McHone said. He pledged to work with department staff and City Manager Chris Duque to ensure the CHPD manual is properly updated.
Trevino and other council members agreed a police chief changing policy did not require their approval, but that more communication with them and Duque would have sufficed prior to final implementation of the pursuit policy changes.
“My concern is that decisions are being made in this department that are not being discussed with employees and that are not being discussed with leadership,” Trevino said.
Trevino also commended Duque in his efforts to directly address police department issues. Additionally, he acknowledged that any lingering problems could spur some uniformed personnel to mull going elsewhere. Local leaders agreed Castle Hills is like many other small cities that are constantly striving to offer competitive pay and benefits to recruit and retain police officers.
City Councilmember Denise Haley said council should not be involved in addressing details in the police department manual, and that such matters should be left up to the police chief and the city manager in Castle Hills’ form of government.
“It’s not in our purview to get involved at this level with this operational stuff,” she added. Trevino said he understood Haley’s viewpoint, but having the police chief and council openly discuss these issues was an attempt at providing governmental transparency.
The March 10 council discussion ended with McHone saying he was open to input and ideas on how best to enhance police department operations, and that he would cooperate with Duque and, if needed, the city attorney to produce a comprehensive update to the policy manual.
McHone did not publicly offer remarks upon resigning as police chief. The U.S. Air Force veteran has 30-plus years of law enforcement experience, having held police leadership in various cities and school districts. Prior to arriving in Castle Hills, McHone was police chief in the Salado (Texas) Independent School District.
There has been no new update from CHPD leaders regarding further efforts to update the policy manual. Castle Hills officials said Davila has been with the local police department since 2012, and he has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience.
“The City Council, city administration and other departments will assist Interim Police Chief Davila during this transition period, and have confidence in his ability to lead the department,” the April 10 city announcement stated.
It has been a busy 2026 for the CHPD. A shooting unfolded along the Loop 410 frontage road March 25 involving a Castle Hills officer, who had been responding to a hit-and-run incident.
On Jan. 23, a Castle Hills officer initiated a traffic stop where the motorist failed to stop his car, crashed the vehicle, and the driver and another person exited and fled on foot.
According to a city press release, “Consistent with departmental policy, any vehicle pursuit was discontinued after an assessment of risk to the public and officers,” and the San Antonio Police Department was asked to help continue the pursuit.
