BEAUMONT — Patrick Melvin, department head for the Port Arthur Police Department, had a meet the press moment.

Melvin was the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Press Club of Southeast Texas on Thursday at Café Del Rio in Beaumont. He will become chief of police after he gets his certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement in the next couple of months.

He started his presentation by giving his background.

His parents are from Houston and he was born in Texas. His parents are also foster parents.

They later moved to Phoenix, Ariz. He attended a military academy in Missouri on an ROTC scholarship. He then attended Arizona State University and majored in criminal justice.

Melvin has been married for 26 years and they have three children.

He spent 31 years with the Phoenix Police Department in a variety of departments during his career.

“I’ve been blessed,” he said. “My mentor told me to go to areas no one else wants to go.”

That led him going to the planning and research bureau that also wrote policy. Work in that department also gave him the chance to sit on boards that led to working on a commission that accredited law enforcement agencies.

“I inspected other police departments across the country,” he said.

He admitted his work in internal affairs wasn’t a department every officer wanted to work, being the police of the police, but he learned much and he said it was a great experience for him.

He was promoted to lieutenant when he worked in the organized crime division. Next, he became an area manager where he was responsible for a section of the city.

“I moved to my area of responsibility. I went to church in my area of responsibility. As an area manager, you’re responsible 24 hours a day,” he said.

“I love community policing, community involvement.”

His next assignment brought him to Washington, D.C. to work on traffic control at a national level. He also got to network with other local law enforcement agencies across the nation.

“That catapulted my career,” Melvin said.

When he returned to Phoenix, he was promoted to commander. As a duty commander, he was the police chief during non-business hours. Phoenix is 500 miles in area with more than 1 million residents and divided into eight precincts. It was during this time he also enhanced his media contacts.

He worked there 14 months. The long hours, however, became somewhat more difficult for him as he became older.

He always knew he wanted to be a police chief and he started to look more into that possibility.

Before he became a chief, though, he landed his dream job with the Phoenix Police Department as a traffic commander. He even got to ride a motorcycle.

He still wanted to become a chief and he was a finalist for a couple of jobs.

He got the chance when he was hired to be police chief of Maricopa, Ariz. in October 2006.

Maricopa was a unique situation because he had to build a police department from the ground up.

There were no officers, no police cars, no buildings, no uniforms, not anything when he first started.

It would take too long to hire an officer straight from the police academy and wait for them to complete their training, so they made lateral hires of officers from other departments.

“Cops like toys and we had the Dodge Challenger Hemis. We had the latest weapons and the coolest uniforms. We met our recruiting tangent by hiring 95 percent of laterals. There was also opportunity for them to move up the ranks,” Melvin said.

By July, the department started day shifts. Swing shifts started in October.

His next job as a chief was with Salt River at an Indian reservation, or tribal community.

It was also a federal law enforcement position and he became tribe certified in addition to other certifications. He stayed there four and a half years.

“It was great stuff. I learned a lot,” he said.

He rhetorically asked the audience why did he choose Port Arthur to be chief.

“I like a challenge. I like to get to work right away. It’s also a recruitment opportunity and a chance to engage the community,” he said.

“We’re looking for a few good people,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to protect and serve.”

In addition to community interaction, there will be chance to reorganize and restructure the department.

Melvin said when he is certified, he will wear a uniform to show the public, “I’m your police chief.”

He then took questions from the audience.

The first question was to assess the changes needed to be made to the PAPD. Melvin said he has been meeting with groups in the city, holding strategic meetings with staff and senior leadership and hearing from them.

“I’m quick to listen and slow to speak. I’m sponging,” he said. “Will there be changes? Absolutely. I’ll step back and see what’s happening. I’m taking notes.”

He added that he works with great people who want to be a professional department. In turn, he wants the department to have a great reputation and keep good officers in Port Arthur.

“This is a great community. The citizens want to be involved,” he said. “Port Arthur has a hospitable nature. The gumbo’s been great. I’m taking advantage of this honeymoon period.”

David Ball: 409-721-2427