HOUSTON — Houston Mayor John Whitmire at City Council on Wednesday swore in new fire and police chiefs Orlando "Thomas" Muñoz and J. Noe Diaz.
Whitmire announced former Fire Chief Samuel Peña would be replaced by Muñoz on July 26. A week later, the mayor introduced Diaz as the city's next police chief on August 2, nearly three months after former Chief Troy Finner announced his retirement.
Both chiefs were welcomed with standing ovations from a packed City Hall and they are no strangers to the city, having served in various capacities across the Houston metro area.
Both men said they plan to work hard making both departments the best in the nation as they serve the community.
“We will accomplish this by working together to build a department on the foundation of character integrity, respect, commitment, and most importantly compassion for each other and the residents of this great city,” Muñoz said.
“I assure you that we will meet the day, meet the challenges first with kindness, for the love of every community to make sure that this community prospers collectively together and the police department works within the community because the community is our biggest asset,” Diaz said.
Who is J. Noe Diaz?
Diaz has served as the chief of the Katy Police Department for the past five years. Katy Mayor Dusty Thiele called him a "remarkable public servant" who improved efficiency, responsiveness, and community engagement.
Diaz said addressing staffing issues is among his priorities along with getting the department past the suspended cases scandal. But Diaz said fighting crime is the mayor’s main objective – so it will be his as well.
The new chief has previously served 11 years with the Texas Rangers and has worked as a deputy constable and correctional officer.
Diaz is jumping from a department with about 70 officers to a police force of 5,000. The huge difference did not immediately alarm the Houston Police Officers Union.
“If you put the right people in place and I think that he will, I think we’ll move forward and we will not have an issue," HPOU President Douglas Griffith said.
Who is Thomas Muñoz?
Before the appointment, Muñoz was serving as deputy director for the Mayor's Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security.
According to his online bio, Muñoz has more than 26 years of experience as a first responder.
"Mayor Whitmire is a no-nonsense leader who has supported our firefighters since day one," Muñoz said in the release sent out by the mayor’s office. "I am committed to taking care of the residents of Houston, which must begin with taking care of the men and women of the Houston Fire Department. The work we do today will have a lasting impact for years to come, and I know that with this administration, we can improve the safety of all residents and future generations."
Before coming to the Houston Office of Emergency Management, Muñoz served as director for Emergency Management in Texas City. He also spent 24 years with the Houston Fire Department, with his final position there being assistant chief of Homeland Security and Planning.
According to the mayor’s office, Muñoz also completed the Executive Leadership and Management Certification from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business and is a Homeland Security Executive Leadership Program graduate from the Naval Postgraduate School. He also completed the Component National Security Course at the National Defense University in Washington, DC.