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Houston Area Police Chiefs Association
Houston Area Police Chiefs Association
(HAPCA)
HAPCA Counties

HAPCA Board Members

Paul Cordova - President
Aldine ISD Police Department

Chief Paul Córdova began his law enforcement career in 1982 at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. While at the Sheriff’s Office, Córdova worked as a Deputy, Detective, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Senior Captain. Córdova fulfilled numerous assignments, including patrol, detentions, courts, criminal investigations, emergency management and homeland security. In 2014, he retired from the HCSO and joined the Rice University as a Police Captain where he served for three years. Following his tenure at RUPD, he joined the Houston ISD Police Department as an Assistant Chief. Within a few months he was appointed Interim Chief and Chief of Police. In 2020, he joined the Aldine ISD Police Department as Chief of Police which is his current post.

Cordova holds a Master Peace Officer certification, Master Jailer certification, Crime Prevention certification and a Police Instructor certification with TCOLE. He holds Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degrees in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University. Córdova is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Leadership Command College of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas. He recently completed the FBI LEEDS program which is exclusive to Chiefs of Police, Sheriffs and Constables. Chief Córdova is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the FBI National Academy Association, Texas Police Chief’s Association, Houston Area Chiefs of Police Association, the Texas School District Police Chief’s Association, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. He is also a Life Member of The 100 Club of Houston.

Jeff Bert-Vice President
Tom Ball Police Department

Chief Jeff Bert began his law enforcement career with the Los Angeles Police Department in 1996. He served the residents of Los Angeles for the next 24 years working a variety of operational, investigative, and administrative assignments. Chief Bert wrote the Strategic Plan and a variety of policies that continue to guide the men and women of the LAPD. As a Police Commander in charge of Community Policing, Jeff professionalized and expanded youth programs, working with underprivileged youth to ensure they had access to after-school activities, tutoring, and college scholarships. He retired in June 2020 as the Department Risk Manager.

In July 2020, Jeff became the Chief of Police for the City of Tomball. His greatest honor is working with a team of dedicated officers and civilians who protect and serve the city of Tomball. Chief Bert lives in Tomball with his wife, Stacy. They have four incredible daughters and way too many cats and dogs.

Marlon Runnels-Secretary
​Klein ISD Police Department

Chief Runnels began his law enforcement career in 2001 as a detention officer with the Harris County Sheriffs Dept. Since that time he has worked for multiple police agencies throughout the greater Houston area. He first entered school based policing when he joined the Klein ISD Police Department in 2008. While in Klein, he worked on campus and patrol assignments as an officer as well as a Sergeant. In 2017 Chief Runnels was given the opportunity to lead the Montgomery ISD Police Department. During his time in MISD the police department underwent a cultural change where officers focused on efficient delivery of police services to the 9000 plus students via increased training and relational based practices. In 2020, Runnels returned to Klein ISD in the role of Assistant Chief and in 2022 he was promoted to Chief of Police of Klein ISD, the 16th largest district in the State of Texas.  Chief Runnels currently holds a Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Administration of Justice were from Texas Southern University. He also holds numerous certification  such as Master Peace Officer, Police Instructor, ALERRT Instructor, SBLE Instructor, FBINAA Command College graduate, and a FBI-LEEDA Trilogy recipient. Chief Runnel's professional associations include Texas Municipal Police Association, Houston Area Chiefs Association, Leadership North Houston. He was elected 4th VP of the Texas School District Chiefs Association in 2023.

Henry Gaw-Treasurer 
​Katy ISD Police Department

Chief Henry Gaw, a native Houstonian, began his law enforcement career with the Houston Police Department (HPD) in 1994. Chief Gaw’s first police assignment was in patrol, patrolling the north and central neighborhoods of Houston. Chief Gaw ascended through the ranks and was promoted to Assistant Chief with HPD in March 2017. Chief Gaw is proud to have served HPD for 26 years, and now the Katy Independent School District Police Department because he is living out his calling to serve and protect the community. Chief Gaw has had a very blessed career with the Houston Police Department, having served in many different leadership roles and assignments-- Patrol, Investigations, Administration, and over the Command Offices of Patrol Support and Patrol Region 1. Chief Gaw is a strong proponent of Relational Policing and strives for strong relationships and partnerships between the community, private sector businesses, and other law enforcement and governmental agencies to leverage resources and maximize outputs to achieve best results for the overall safety of the Katy ISD community.

Chief Gaw obtained his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Houston and his Masters Degree in Strategic Leadership from Mountain State University. Chief Gaw is a member of the Texas School District Police Chief’s Association, Houston Area Police Chief’s Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Chief Gaw also holds a Master Peace Officer certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) and is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) program.

Laurie Christensen-Legislative Representative
​Laurie L. Christensen is the Harris County Fire Marshal with over 30 years’ fire ​​service, emergency management, and law enforcement experience combined. Harris County has 4.7 million residents and is the 3rd largest county in the United States.

Currently, Christensen directs and leads a team of over 150 committed employees. The Prevention division, under her guidance, implements, complies with, and enforces the adopted Harris County Fire Code 2018. The Arson division, among the busiest in Texas, strictly adheres to the national standards of NFPA 921 and 1033. The Hazardous Response Team is the primary responder to hazardous material incidents and suspected homeland security threats within unincorporated Harris County and the surrounding thirteen-county region. The Training & Education division is a state-certified comprehensive emergency services training provider, developing curriculum, building realistic training props, and ensuring the highest safety standards in their programs.

Christensen holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management from Sam Houston State University and Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, from the University of Houston Downtown.

She maintains Master Level Certifications from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, Texas Commission for Fire Protection, is a certified Texas Emergency Manager along with various additional certifications. She is active in regional, state, and national organizations for law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency management. She appreciates the privilege of serving the residents of Harris County and the state of Texas.

Solomon Cook - Liason to TPCA
Humble ISD

Solomon Cook, current Chief of Police for Humble ISD, began his law enforcement career in 1976.  In his forty-two years of tenure in law enforcement, Chief Cook has worked for municipalities, county, and state agencies.  Chief Cook served as Police Captain for Humble ISD from 1996 to 2003 before becoming the Chief of Police for Humble ISD in 2004. 


Chief Cook earned his Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Criminal Justice from Southwest University, is a graduate of the FBI Command College and the FBI - LEEDA Trilogy Award recipient. His certifications and licenses include a Master Peace Officer Certification, Police Instructor, Crime Prevention Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Less lethal tactics Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, ALERRT Instructor and Arson Investigations Certification.

Chief Cook has served as president for the Houston Area Police Chief Association, and currently serves as the Houston Area Police Chief Representative to the Texas Police Chief Association’s Executive Board.  He is also the President for the Texas School District Police Chief Association.  In June of 2015, Chief Cook was asked to Chair the committee on the House Bill 2684, which pertains to the adoption of training for school district police officers.

Clemente Rodriguez -Past President
Rice University

Chief Clemente Rodriguez has over 20 years of police experience, including more than 16 years of experience in progressive supervision. Chief Rodriguez began his law enforcement career at Rice University in 2001 as a patrol officer. Chief Rodriguez was promoted to Police Sergeant in 2003 where he oversaw tours in patrol and training. In
2011, Chief Rodriguez was promoted to Police Captain. During his tenure as Police Captain, Chief Rodriguez was instrumental in developing department policies and procedures, managing all Clery Compliance for the department, as well as overseeing Patrol Operations, Support Operations, Training, and Special Events, Rice Emergency Medical Services, and Open Records.  

Chief Rodriguez holds a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Houston Downtown and a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management from Sam Houston State University. 


                                                                           Chief Rodriguez was promoted to Chief of Police/Director of Public Safety for the                                                                                Rice University Police Department on January 16, 2020.