Katy City Council unanimously appointed Assistant Police Chief Timothy Tyler as interim police chief Jan. 14. Police Chief Bill Hastings is retiring Jan. 15 after more than 40 years of city service. "[Tyler] has had about 10 years maybe of [serving as] assistant chief, and he was on [Katy Police Department's] succession plan as being the No. 2 guy, so we put him in there," Mayor Chuck Brawner said. Appointing Tyler to the position provides the Katy Police Department with consistency and stability as the city moves to hire a new police chief, Brawner said. The city is working to have a new police chief selected within two months, he added. Several applications from Katy Police Department staff and outside applicants have been received, Brawner said. Tyler confirmed that he is one of the internal applicants. Tyler said he will not be making any changes to the department at this time. He added that he will work to ensure that officers continue to take care of the people of Katy the way they would want their own families taken care of. He intends to apply lessons learned from Hastings as the department of 58 officers moves forward. "It's been an honor and privilege to work for chief Hastings," Tyler said. "I've known him since I was 16, so it's a longer relationship than just the police work."