BY Austin Lewter/Publisher
Whitesboro Police Chief Alex Coss resigned Monday morning after nine months of service to the city.
Coss told the News-Record he has been enrolled in the PhD program in Criminal Justice at Tarleton State University since September and he is stepping away from his post with the city to free up time for his studies.
“I’ve enjoyed my time in the program so far, and I look forward to diving in more,” Coss said.
In his resignation to interim city administrator Phil Harris, Coss offered to stay on board until Jan. 10, 2025.
“They called me in the next day (Tuesday, Dec. 17) and told me to go ahead and clean out my office,” Coss said.
He will continue to be paid by the city until that time.
Harris confirmed the details of Coss’s resignation Tuesday afternoon.
“Chief Coss offered his resignation, and we accepted it,” Harris said. “We wish him all the best and appreciate his service to the city.”
Harris said the vacancy will be posted first internally and later externally.
Whitesboro’s Lieutenant Kevin Dockery will act as interim chief until the position is filled.
“We hope to attract a diverse field of qualified candidates to this position,” Harris said.
Though Coss’s tenure in Whitesboro has been short, it has not been uneventful.
He was hired to the position in March 2024 after previous longtime Police Chief Scott Taylor was fired in December 2023 after a vote of no confidence.
Coss was hired by the same council that employed now former city administrator Julie Arrington.
Arrington replaced longtime administrator Michael Marter who was fired in summer 2023 for a similar lack of confidence.
In the wake of this turnover at City Hall, the May election saw three incumbent aldermen lose their bids for reelection.
Coss later publicly criticized the newly elected council’s leadership style in open session.
The council then publicly reprimanded Coss for his criticism.
In the intervening months, the one incumbent who survived reelection— Stacey Miles— resigned and was replaced by previously ousted alderman John Moore.
Arrington was then fired from the city administrator’s position in October and Harris was named her interim replacement.
Coss is a US Navy veteran who came to Whitesboro after holding the chief position in Justin.
Whitesboro mayor Dave Blaylock said he was informed of the Chief’s resignation on Monday, but he has had little contact or input on the matter in the days since.
“I appreciate the Chief’s hard work,” Blaylock said. “Alex Coss is a professional public servant of the highest standard and we were blessed to have him in Whitesboro. I wish him all the best.”