After roughly seven months without an official police chief, the city of Pflugerville has a new top cop.

Jason O’Malley will take over the job following approval from Pflugerville City Council during a Sept. 14 meeting.

Pflugerville Police Chief Jessica Robledo resigned on Feb. 23, following four years of service to the city. Robledo began as interim police chief in January 2017 before being sworn in as chief of police in February 2017.

Under Robledo's leadership, the department established events such as Public Safety Day and Coffee with a Cop in addition to holding the first Café con la Policia for Spanish-speaking residents, according to the city.

After Robledo resigned, Assistant Chief Jason Smith took over as acting chief. From there, the city of Pflugerville engaged in a national search for its next police chief.



More than 90 candidates applied, and finalists participated in assessment exercises and interviews with police department personnel, city staff and members of the Pflugerville community, according to the city.

O’Malley has served the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service and most recently the Pflugerville Police Department, according to city information.

Prior to coming to the Pflugerville Police Department, O'Malley oversaw operations for more than 200 officers and staff.


He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff & Command and a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Texas Police Chiefs Association and the National Asian Peace Officers’ Association.


O’Malley will immediately begin serving as police chief, and his formal swearing-in ceremony will occur at a later date, according to city information.

"I've been through two previous police chiefs and have always had good relationships with police and police chiefs," Mayor Victor Gonzales said. "I have no doubt you will execute with the leadership that you have."