The Fulshear City Council has unanimously voted to terminate Police Chief Kenneth Seymour following the completion of an independent administrative investigation that revealed an undisclosed, prolonged romantic and financial relationship with a subordinate officer, alongside findings that the police chief was untruthful during the inquiry.
The decisive action, taken during a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15, brings an abrupt conclusion to Seymour’s 15-year tenure at the helm of the local police force. Seymour had been placed on paid administrative leave in late August as outside investigators finalized their review of his conduct and personal dealings within the department.
Rather than allowing the council to deliberate his employment status in an executive session shielded from the public, Seymour exercised his right to have the matter heard in open session. This decision brought the intimate details of the administrative probe, the investigator’s findings, and the defense presented by his legal counsel into the public record.
The internal inquiry originated on June 9, when municipal administrators received an anonymous correspondence raising questions regarding the promotional history of a department captain dating back to 2014. What began as an assessment of past workplace advancement practices soon evolved into a broader examination of the chief's conduct.
As the third-party investigator pursued the inquiry, the focus shifted well beyond the initial anonymous letter to incorporate sworn testimony and documentation Seymour had provided during his divorce litigation. These legal records brought to light significant personal entanglements between the top law enforcement official and a member of his subordinate staff.
According to testimony delivered to the city council by the investigator, Seymour’s own sworn responses in the divorce proceedings confirmed that he had engaged in an extended sexual relationship with a police captain working under his chain of command. That subordinate captain has since resigned from the Fulshear Police Department.
The administrative probe also exposed substantial financial entanglements between Seymour and the captain. Evidence presented during the proceedings showed that the chief had provided direct financial assistance to the subordinate, which included helping pay her monthly rent and purchasing airline tickets and other personal items.
Further investigative findings detailed expenditures on gifts and leisure activities, including purchases of flowers, a home refrigerator, and funding for personal trips to regional destinations such as Galveston and Fredericksburg. The investigator concluded that these expenditures created direct financial conflicts of interest within the law enforcement hierarchy.
Ultimately, the independent investigator sustained multiple serious infractions against Seymour. These sustained findings included maintaining unaddressed financial conflicts involving a subordinate, failing to formally disclose the romantic relationship to city management, exhibiting deceitful or untruthful behavior during questioning, and violating explicit departmental directives by discussing the active investigation with other agency staff.
Addressing the council members prior to their vote, the independent investigator characterized the documentary trail and corroborating evidence supporting the misconduct determinations as "overwhelming," leaving little room for doubt regarding the policy violations that had taken place.
Seymour’s defense attorney, Larry McDougal Jr., strongly pushed back against the administrative review's trajectory and ultimate conclusions. McDougal argued before the council that the investigator had improperly expanded the scope of the inquiry far beyond the original complaint concerning historical promotional decisions.
The defense attorney emphasized that the initial allegations regarding improper promotions were not sustained by the evidence. McDougal questioned the fairness of the administrative process, asking council members what Chief Seymour was truly being investigated for once the foundational accusations from the anonymous letter fell apart.
Following the vote to dismiss him, McDougal indicated that Seymour strongly disagreed with the city council's decision to terminate his employment. The attorney noted that the ousted police chief is currently reviewing his legal options, while Seymour himself could not be reached for further public comment.
In an official statement addressing the termination, municipal officials affirmed that the decision was reached with great care following the conclusion of the independent administrative review. The city noted that council members take their governance duties and obligations to local residents seriously, though the municipality declined to elaborate on specific witness testimonies due to personnel privacy constraints.
Councilmember Randy Connor emphasized that maintaining public trust and personal integrity is an indispensable requirement for municipal leadership. Connor stated that the community's officers deserve strong, uncompromised leadership and that residents must have complete confidence in the integrity of their local law enforcement agency, adding that the chief's dismissal should not cast a shadow over the rest of the department.
Seymour had originally been appointed to lead the Fulshear Police Department on Aug. 26, 2011, serving as chief through a transformational period marked by rapid residential and commercial expansion across the city.
In the wake of Seymour's firing, operational control of the police department will temporarily fall under the supervision of the city manager, with day-to-day command handled by existing senior leadership until City Council officially names an interim police chief at an upcoming meeting.
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