The City of Austin’s public transportation agency named Eric Robins as its inaugural police chief on Tuesday, Austin-based media outlets reported.
Austin NBC affiliate KXAN reported that Robins comes to the state capital and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) from the Houston area, where he served as the leader of the Sugar Land Police Department (SLPD).
The transit police force is awaiting certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, and once that happens, Robins’ first official day on the job will be Aug. 1.
Gardner Tabon, CapMetro’s chief safety officer, said in an Austin Monitor report that Robins “far exceeded” the agency’s expectations in relation to qualifications and background checks.
“We are so pleased to have Mr. Robins on board,” Tabon said on the website.
The report said that CapMetro board members were also pleased with the force’s new chief administrator.
According to KXAN, the implementation of a transit-focused law enforcement agency by CapMetro was well-received by workers and the public alike.
One employee told board members about having been assaulted on the job.
“I’ve asked before for CapMetro to have police at bus stops, or ride on the bus, and I think that it’s a great time to have a police force,” the unidentified transit operator said, the station reported.
A local clergyman praised the formation of the new department.
“I think the community will provide their support that you need and so again just wanted to say 'thank you' for what you’ve done to this point,” Reverend Dr. Daryl Horton of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Austin said, per KXAN.
According to Austin Monitor, Robins was born and raised in Houston and spent much of his law enforcement career in Sugar Land.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University (SHSU), the report said.
The CapMetro board approved the police department last year, per the website.