New police chief for Cottonwood Shores

The city had been seeking a police chief since Harold Piatt resigned last month.

Police Chief Tom Williams, a peace officer with 39 years of experience across a plethora of agencies, said his first day was “hectic” because of meetings with Mayor Donald Orr and Sheila Moore (city administrator and city secretary), Burnet County Sheriff W.T. Smith and police chiefs of surrounding municipalities like Horseshoe Bay and Marble Falls.

Williams said he has zero tolerance for drug dealers and domestic abusers.

“I’ve seen a lot of domestic violence in my career, and I don’t like it: people who abuse women, children or the elderly should be dealt with harshly,” he said.

Domestic violence is a dangerous situation not only for the family members involved but for officers who take the call. “It’s a volatile situation, it’s a call that’s the most likely to go bad,” he said.

Narcotics is the other issue that Williams plans on confronting head-on. “There’s only a few in the community who are dealing, and there are transients every now and then, and I’m going to find out who they are,” he said, adding that he is seeking out sources for information. “We’re either going to make them so uncomfortable they go elsewhere or put them in jail.”

Williams has a few changes in store for the department.

For the full story, see Tuesday's Highlander.