Alpine
Kirk Caughman, age 50 of Alpine, will start his new position as police chief on January 1 after growing up in Alpine and growing into the job in the department.
Alpine city officials feel they are following a successful formula with the promotion of Caughman from lieutenant to chief of police. Caughman has a similar background as retiring Chief Darrell Losoya, said Interim City Manager Geo Calderon. Both worked their way up through years of experience with the Alpine Police Department.
“I think that he was definitely the clear choice,” Calderon said. “We’ve received several letters of recommendation from community leaders for his appointment.” Both also have strong ties with the community, he added.
Alpine is his home, said Caughman, who has lived in the city since he was in the second grade; his family is here and he intends to stay here.
His experience with the Alpine Police Department goes back to his high school years when he was a law enforcement Explorer Scout and March 2001 when he began his career as a dispatcher there.
Since then, he has been working on gaining experience, said Caughman, who had hoped to head a department but hadn’t dreamed of being chief.
Particularly important to his growth and experience, said Caughman, was the case of ZuZu Verk. He managed the collection, maintenance and transporting of the evidence for the high-profile case.
“Basically, I was the go-between, between the Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Rangers,” who handled most of the investigation for the case, Caughman said. “Whatever came in for the case … If it was a major piece of evidence that was in regard to the actual case, it all came to me.”
Verk was a 21-year-old Sul Ross State University student when she went missing in October 2016. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave in the desert four months later. In May 2019, Alpine resident Robert Fabian was found guilty of murder in the case and sentenced to life in prison. He was Verk’s boyfriend at the time of her disappearance.
The job of managing the evidence was made more difficult by the large number of items, 300, listed as evidence, and a change of venue which moved the trial to Lockhart, Caughman said.
“So, I had to get those 300-plus pieces of evidence and be in charge of its custody and safety from Alpine all the way over there too,” he said.
Regarding the future of the department, Caughman said he would like to continue the improvements and growth started by Chief Losoya.
“I think there’s always room for improvement in all aspects of the police department,” Caughman said. “Here recently, under Chief Losoya’s leadership, we’ve grown … in the services that the department provides.” Caughman included a bike unit and canine unit among the new services that he would like to expand.
Caughman added that he hopes to expand the department’s investigative unit and increase training for patrol staff in evidence collection and crime scene investigations.
Caughman also hopes to maintain the connection between the department and the community, which he said Losoya maintained.
Playing the part of Blue Santa when he was younger gave him an understanding of the needs of the community, Caughman said. The character of Blue Santa hands out gifts to children whose families may not have the means to buy them. He has also worked behind the scenes to raise money for the department’s Blue Santa project.
“I always liked helping the community in whatever way we can,” he said. “You know our Blue Santa doesn’t just give kids gifts and stuff like that. It helps people that have problems with finances. Like when they can’t pay their utilities.”
Caughman’s educational background includes graduating from Alpine High School in 1995, graduating from the Sul Ross State University Law Enforcement Academy in 2000 and completing the FBI National Academy Associates of Texas 2024 Command College at the University of Texas at El Paso. He was also a member of the Leadership Big Bend Class of 2024.