SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — SAPD officers Travis Griffith and Mike Hernandez will be announcing their bids to run for San Angelo’s chief of police position this week.

Current police chief Frank Carter announced in May of 2022 that he would not be running for reelection. With his term coming to an end in May of 2024, San Angelo will be looking for a new chief of police to fill the role through the upcoming May 2024 election.

An image of Travis Griffith.

Griffith will be the first of the candidates known thus far to make an official candidacy announcement, which will be happening at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9, at the front steps of the Tom Green County Courthouse, located at 112 W. Beauregard Ave.

Griffith is currently serving as a sergeant for the San Angelo Police Department. According to Griffith’s online announcement of candidacy published to his Instagram account, he has served in law enforcement for over two decades, 15 years of which he has spent in the SAPD.

“Travis Griffith is a dedicated law enforcement professional who is deeply committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our community,” a public announcement made for Griffith’s campaign said. “With his extensive experience, strong leadership skills and clear vision, he is the ideal candidate for the role of Chief of Police.”

An image of Hernandez. Photo courtesy of the SAPD.

Hernandez will be making his candidacy announcement just days after Griffith. According to Hernandez, his announcement will take place on Saturday, Nov. 11, at 10 a.m. on the steps of City Hall, located at 72 W. City Hall Plaza. This will take place just before the Veterans Day Parade, which is happening at 11 a.m.

According to the SAPD, Hernandez is currently a criminal investigations lieutenant. Hernandez initially joined the SAPD in 1990 after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He has worked in a variety of positions within the department since then, including the Patrol Unit, Gang Unit, SWAT Team, Narcotics and the Special Operations Section.

Hernandez ran for police chief during the 2016 election, when he ran against Carter before publicly announcing his support of the current chief — an approval that has stuck with him even now and has propelled him into running for next year’s election.

“After much prayer and preparation, and with the encouragement of so many of you, I will seek to serve as your next Police Chief,” Hernandez said in a social media post on Oct. 26, 2023. “I ran in 2016 because I felt change was needed. I have been proud to support Chief Carter as he has implemented his vision for that change. Now, looking ahead, there are immediate challenges on the horizon for our department. I am confident my experience, discipline and deep pride in the SAPD will equip me to meet those challenges with great success, from Day One.”

To learn more information about and keep up-to-date with the two candidates, you can visit Griffith’s campaign website and Hernandez’s campaign platform on Facebook.