The City of Greenville may be looking for a new police chief, as Chief Daniel Busken is looking west at an opportunity in New Mexico.
Busken is one of three finalists in the search for a police chief for the City of Rio Rancho, a suburb of Albuquerque.
Busken, who has been the chief of the Greenville Police Department since 2010, said Friday he has not made a decision as to whether to take the job if it is offered and stressed he loves Greenville and its people. However, he noted the position in Rio Rancho had some “intriguing” aspects.
“The city has only been around since the early 1980s,” Busken said. “Its population is already over 90,000. It is a rapidly growing community.”
Busken, along with the other two finalists, is expected to be invited to Rio Rancho for in-person interviews at the end of the month.
Prior to coming to Greenville, Busken had been the chief of the police department in Madison, Alabama, another rapidly growing city.
“I’ve got a history dealing with growth and issues related to growth,” Busken said. “That’s intriguing to me.”
He noted Rio Rancho’s police chief just retired at the end of November after serving nine years in the position.
“That’s a good term for a police chief,” Busken said.
Busken believes he came to the attention of officials in Rio Rancho due to the success the Greenville Police Department has enjoyed under his tenure as chief.
“We have had a lot of accomplishments,” Busken said.
Among the milestones, in 2012 the department was the recipient of an IACP/Motorola Webber Seavey Award for Quality in Law Enforcement. The Greenville Police Department was recognized as a top 10 finalist and was the only finalist in Texas that year. Busken said the department is also in line for additional acknowledgements in the near future.
“We’ll hopefully be recognized by the Texas Police Chief’s Association in the next couple of months,” Busken said.