With the retirement of Katy’s former Police Chief Bill Hastings, comes the next chapter in his desire to serve his community

Pictured: Bill and Susan Denise Hastings

After announcing his retirement from the Katy Police Department last December, it came as no surprise to many that former Police Chief Bill Hastings still had a lot to give to his beloved city of Katy and the people that he has served for many years in various capacities. 

Soon after the announcement came another stating his intention to run for the mayor of Katy.

“I knew that I would retire from the police department in 2019,” said Hastings, “and like most couples facing retirement, my wife Susan and I thought that the next move for us would be buying a house on a lake, mountain or river. But we could never find anything that was quite right and that’s when we realized that Katy is where we want to be.” 

Katy has been home to Hastings since 1972 when he was a local business owner. He owned a western wear store and became active in the community as a volunteer firefighter. It was after a medical emergency involving his then infant daughter that led him to also become a paramedic.  “We had such good people that responded and they were like angels to me,” recalls Hastings. Hastings remained working with the EMS and fire department through 1990.  It was then that he was hired by Pat Adams, the police chief at the time, to be a patrol officer. With the population of Katy back then, it was a far cry from the  3200 to 3300 calls per month to the police these days.

Three of five nights per week, Hastings was able to run the night shift on his own. “Dairy Queen was the only thing in town,” Hastings remembers, “when it closed at 10:00pm people had no business in Katy.” Hastings added a graduation from the FBI Academy in 2001 and dedicated himself to building on the canine program that had been started within the Katy Police Department, and to projects the Katy Police Officer’s Association spearheaded, such as building sidewalks in Katy and the child safety fund.

The annual Fish Fry funded those projects and the Fish Fry continues today as an important fund raiser. Over the years, Hastings considers his greatest professional achievement to be the high caliber people he has been able to surround himself with. “I believe that it is the people around you that help you succeed. Our hiring process is very rigid. We want people that want to be a part of the community.” 

It’s a philosophy that resonates within the department. “The chief considers the whole department as family,” explains Officer Robert McQurter, who has been with the KPD for close to five years. “He’s your boss but he is very caring and does what’s best for the department.” 

Katy residents consider themselves lucky to have had Hastings as a caring and dependable leader in their midst. Over the years he has received numerous letters of thanks from kids that were pushed in the right direction from a compassionate presence that showed concern for their safety and security.  In Katy’s 50-year history, Hastings is one of only three police chiefs that have served Katy with distinction. “So many people have asked if I will turn my 43 years of service to the community into 50,” said Hastings. “I would like to continue supporting the people of Katy, listening to their concerns, and making Katy a great place to live.”