Since former Sugar Land police chief Doug Brinkley was promoted to assistant city manager in late May, city officials announced Monday Assistant Police Chief Eric Robins will be taking over as chief of police, effective immediately. "During the past several years, we've focused on developing leaders within our department," Brinkley said in a release. "Throughout this rigorous and extensive selection process, Eric excelled at demonstrating leadership, strategic foresight and a visionary approach to building on the recent achievements of our department and charting a path for future sustained success." Robins is a native Houstonian and has spent his entire 25-year career with the Sugar Land Police Department, according to the release. His most recent responsibilities as assistant chief included direct supervision and leadership of patrol, criminal investigations, traffic, special impact teams, crime analysis, SWAT and crime scene investigations. During his career, Robins implemented initiatives to increase police visibility and expand crime analysis to identify resources necessary to address criminal trends. He also managed and created special enforcement teams to target and handle specific high-crime patterns throughout the city, efforts that directly contributed to an historic low crime rate, according to the release. Robins also led technology initiatives such as red light cameras that have resulted in a 58 percent reduction of accidents at targeted intersections and a network of license plate recognition cameras that resulted in the arrests of more than nine criminals so far this year. Brinkley's role as assistant city manager became effective June 6. Prior to joining SLPD in 2005, Brinkley spent 15 years in law enforcement in Michigan, working for the Detroit Police Department and the Grand Rapids Police Department. Brinkley has worked in all areas of law enforcement and he also served eight years in the United States Army Reserve. As part of Brinkley's promotion, Bogard also announced the reassignment of Assistant City Manager Jim Callaway to the position of director of special projects, also effective June 6. Callaway's new position will entail providing leadership to some of the city's most complex priority projects—including redistricting and the resolution of the development plans for Tract 2, an area adjacent to the former Central Prison Unit envisioned by the city to be developed as a second business park. Callaway's most recent interim assignment as an assistant city manager was necessary to ensure citywide leadership for the annexation of Greatwood and New Territory last year. As a result of ongoing organizational leadership succession planning efforts, Sugar Land will again have three assistant city managers reporting to Bogard beginning in January 2019.