Plano City Council approved the hire Jan. 13, one week after City Manager Mark Israelson confirmed Drain was the sole finalist for the job.
The former Amarillo police chief will start the Plano job Feb. 24, city spokesperson Steve Stoler said.
Before his three years as police chief in Amarillo, Drain had a lengthy professional history with the Plano Police Department. He started with the department in 1994, working his way up to assistant police chief—a title he held in Plano for a decade under former police Chief Greg Rushin, who is now the deputy city manager.
Drain also served for a time as interim police chief in Murphy.
The city announced Jan. 8 that it had extended an offer to Drain and he had accepted. Drain had met with Plano City Council members two days earlier, laying out his vision for the department and stressing the importance of police officer retention and community relations.
"Police officers aren't going to be able to do it [alone]," Drain said. "We have to make sure our citizens are trained and are motivated to protect themselves, protect their property [and] look out for their own neighborhoods. And in my view, that is the key reason why Plano has such a low crime rate."
City officials recruited Drain, who did not initially apply for the opening, in a process that came together quickly in recent weeks, Israelson said. He was not among the three finalists the city announced in November. One of these candidates withdrew from consideration. The other two did not receive offers from the city, Israelson said.
Drain’s knowledge of the community and history with the Plano Police Department was a strong factor in his consideration, Israelson said.
