Jessica Robledo is Denton’s new police chief, according to an announcement from the city Thursday.
Robledo has served as the Denton Police Department’s acting chief since April 16. She is the first woman to serve as acting police chief in Denton.
The city did not publicly solicit for the position before her appointment, Chief Communications Officer Dustin Sternbeck said.
“She’s had the opportunity to demonstrate her ability to be an effective leader,” Sternbeck said. “She is certainly committed to improving public safety and making the Denton Police Department a model agency for law enforcement.”
City Council members will vote on the appointment during their Sept. 24 meeting. If approved, Robledo will be sworn in on Oct. 8.
Robledo served at the Austin Police Department for 30 years. Then, she served as chief of police for the Pflugerville Police Department for four years until her resignation in 2021.
Her leadership in Pflugerville ended with some controversy, KXAN reported at the time, with Pflugerville officers giving mixed reviews of Robledo’s leadership.
However, Denton City Manager Sara Hensley told the Denton Record-Chronicle in July that members of the department and other city staffers have had positive experiences with Robledo.
Hensley said several officers expressed that they didn’t want her to look for an external candidate.
“I’ve had officers come up to me and say that if we don’t keep her, then we are really crazy because she treats all the officers with respect,” Hensley said.
Hensley said she has “150%” faith in Robledo and her leadership abilities.
“I have the utmost confidence that every division she makes is with the city in mind, protecting the city but most importantly protecting the people she supervises,” Hensley said.
“She has hard conversations when she needs to. But she’s the first one to be there to congratulate them, support them, to give them honest feedback and to be there for them.”