WINDCREST, Texas – A City of Windcrest employee survey this summer noted numerous morale issues and complaints about leadership, specifically within the town’s police department, records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
The employee engagement survey, conducted in June and July, had a response rate of nearly 96% and left Windcrest with an overall rating in the bottom 5% ever recorded by the company that administered it, a summary of the findings obtained by KSAT shows.
Windcrest city officials this fall attempted to block the release of the survey records, telling the Texas Attorney General they were internal city communications dealing with the formation of policy.
KSAT then obtained a copy of the 35-page summary from a source.
Windcrest officials last week, following a ruling from the AG’s office, agreed to hand over more than 100 pages of specific responses to the survey prompts, including “Feel Workplace is positive/motivating and personal morale is high“ and ”Open communication/collaboration within department occurs on regular/effective basis."
‘The Police Department’s culture is highly toxic’
The Key Findings section of the survey results listed loyalty of some managers and employees as one of the city’s greatest strengths.
The same section, however, stated there is a strong dissatisfaction with compensation and employee benefits and a “strong dissatisfaction with some leaders, especially the Police Chief.”
The same Key Findings section noted that the organization’s culture is weak.
“The Police Department’s culture is highly toxic,” page 6 of the survey results states.
In one survey response, a police employee wrote that they are micromanaged “every single day,” and morale had gone down after Chief Jimmie Cole took over the department. The employee also noted that the department does not have “good working vehicles.”
A second police employee response described Cole as micromanaging and “very emotional” and that he makes changes to the department to please himself.
A third police employee response states the person is having to constantly watch their back because the chief is constantly looking for policy violations “to hem officer’s up on.”
Multiple Windcrest Police Department employees spoke with KSAT for this story and asked that the station conceal their identities so they could speak freely about workplace issues they have encountered.
“At some point, if issues are not addressed, there may not be much of a department to work for the residents,” said one police employee.
When asked specifically by KSAT to describe Chief Cole, a second employee said, “Ego, control, poor leadership.”
Officers who spoke with KSAT complained of not being provided the proper equipment to do their jobs safely.
This comment mirrored what was listed in the survey results.
Pressed for a specific example, a police employee said officers have used their own money to buy radar gun remotes to properly monitor motorists' speed while patrolling the city.
Officers who spoke with KSAT described Cole as running the department through intimidation.
“If I could quote him, it would be, ‘I’m the chief, and they’re going to do whatever the F I want.’ And if that doesn’t say enough about his leadership style,” a police employee told KSAT.
Cole was promoted to the position after the previous chief left in late 2022.
After KSAT requested an interview with Cole, an attorney representing the city said via email that issues collateral to the survey prevented the chief from taking part in an interview.
Cole, in a written statement released through an attorney, provided specific responses about his leadership style and whether he runs the department through intimidation:
“I do not believe I ever made a comment like that. I have made comments noting that as the chief of police, I am the one responsible for the department and the actions of the officers. So, I have a responsibility to the public to make sure the department operates correctly. However, a great many issues are addressed through the chain of command. While I am briefed on most issues addressed by command staff, I do not take a tyrannical approach to handling problems, which is what that improper quote implies. My management style is not based on intimidation by any means. I believe in a collaborative approach and involve my senior command staff in a great many discussions before decisions are made. Everyone is treated fairly. As law enforcement officers everyone in the department is sworn to protect the public and enforce the law. This includes following department regulations. I have had officers who believed they were above the rules or that the rules do not apply to them. That type of perspective has no place in the Windcrest Police Department. In the past, officers have learned from their mistakes, adjusted, and become productive members of the department. Others have not. I do not know who made the comments regarding running the department through intimidation as the employee survey was anonymous. As a result, I cannot speak to why individuals may have that belief. I can say that rules are applied uniformly and fairly and I collaborate with command staff regarding their application.”
Attorney sends cease-and-desist letter following ethics complaint filed by Chief Cole
An attorney representing a Windcrest resident sent city leadership a cease-and-desist letter last month, stating Cole has filed city ethics complaints against private citizens.
These complaints are typically filed against elected officials, appointed officials or city employees, Windcrest records show.
“The City’s website states that the Ethics Commission ‘has the authority and duty to investigate written complaints of alleged unethical behavior by a member of the City Council or a member of a City-appointed board, commission or committee and to make a recommendation to the City Council on the complaint and potential action, if any.’ Thus, by the City’s written admission, the Ethics Commission does not have authority to investigate private citizens,” the Nov. 11 letter states. “It certainly appears that one or more City officials are attempting to weaponize the tools of government to silence, intimidate, or harass those who express unfavorable opinions of City officials. If the Ethics Commission allows itself to be used for such purposes, it is shameful and unlawful. If any resident of the City of Windcrest wants the Chief of Police or any other City official to be fired, that is certainly not an ‘ethics violation.’ On the contrary, it is speech protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Attempting to intimidate, harass, or punish private citizens for expressing their opinions on matters of public concern, including who should be entrusted with positions of power within the City government, is both outrageous and unlawful.”
The letter encourages the city to drop an ethics hearing for the woman scheduled for next week.
In a phone call, she told KSAT that Cole is destroying Windcrest and stomping on citizen’s First Amendment rights.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.