About Chief Cook

2023 Chief Cook Formal Dress

Christopher Cook was appointed as the 11th Chief of Police for the City of White Settlement on April 4, 2022. Chief Cook has 28-years of law enforcement experience spanning across three departments, most notably with the Arlington, Texas Police Department where he assailed through the ranks to the position of Deputy Police Chief. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia College. As part of furthering his education, he is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree from Tarleton State University.    

Chief Cook is an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Texas Police Chiefs Association, North Texas Police Chiefs Association, and the Police Executive Research Forum. He was appointed to serve on the Executive Advisory Board for the Caruth Police Institute in 2023. Chief Cook is the Immediate Past President of the National Information Officers Association. He is the current Regional Vice Chair for the International Association of Chiefs of Police Public Information Officers Section. He previously held the post of Chair for the Major Cities Chiefs Association Public Information Officers Committee, an international organization of the largest 78 police agencies across the United States and Canada. 

Chief Cook started his career with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office after graduating from Class #64 of the Tarrant County College Police Academy in May 1995, following service in the United States Air Force. Commissioned as a Deputy Sheriff, Cook worked in confinement operations at the Tarrant County Corrections Center and communications at TCSO's Dispatch Center. 

Chief Cook
In 2001, IMG_7557Chief Cook returned to his hometown in White Settlement and worked for about four years as a patrol officer. In 2005, he was hired by the Arlington Police Department where he worked in a variety of capacities, including patrol operations, freeway traffic enforcement, fatality crash investigations, commercial vehicle enforcement, and drug interdiction with the North Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). Cook quickly promoted to through the ranks of Sergeant, Lieutenant and Deputy Police Chief. He served as the Chief Spokesperson for the Arlington Police Department for 12 years. 

IMG_4384-EnhancedAs a Deputy Police Chief, he gained experience in overseeing federal task forces, school resource policing operations, jail oversight, crime scene, intelligence center, criminal investigations, and field services in patrol. Chief Cook has managed municipal budgets in the range of millions of dollars under his commands as an accomplished executive. He has a wealth of experience in the public relations and traditional media management, having overseen media relations, graphic design, video production and social media. Chief Cook testified before the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice-Community Trust and Respect for Law Enforcement panel in 2020. He also provided testimony to the IACP Police Professional Standards Ethics and Image Committee on the state of policing related to the value that public information officers provide to communities in the midst of calls for police reform and defunding media teams. Chief Cook is a veteran instructor on a multitude of topic areas. Speaking and executive training engagements include the IACP, NIOA, MCCA, FBI, Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, Texas Crime Prevention Association, Institute for Law Enforcement Administration, Caruth Police Institute, Government Social Media Conference, the Social Media Internet Law Enforcement Conference, and numerous other law enforcement-centric organizations. IMG_0960

From a regional planning perspective, Chief Cook served as a lead planner and PIO for several large scale events, including the MLB World Series in 2010, 2011 and 2020, NFL Super Bowl in 2011, College Football Playoff National Championship in 2015, and the National Finals Rodeo in 2020.  
Chief Cook maintains a Master Peace Officer Certificate from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. He is a graduate of the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration 96th School of Police Supervision in 2009, the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas 67th Leadership Command College in 2012, and the Senior Management Institute for Police Session #63 from the Police Executive Research Forum in 2016. He is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the American Society of Criminology, Texas Professional Photographers Association and the Professional Photographers of America Association. 

Chief Cook received Arlington’s third highest honor, a Distinguished Service Medal, in 2021 for his continued contributions to the policing profession. He was nominated for the prestigious Gary P. Hayes Award with the Police Executive Research Forum in 2020. He received the 2018 Leadership in Public Information Management Award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He received the 2013 Connected COPS Social Media Leadership Award for his distinguished and exemplary leadership in the use of social media. Chief Cook has been published in several high profile journals and magazines including the IACP Police Chief Magazine, COPS Office publications, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Police One, and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.