Fulshear City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to fire Police Chief Kenny Seymour, ending a 15-year tenure that began when the Fort Bend County suburb was a town of barely a thousand people. The vote followed a months-long administrative investigation into Seymour's relationship with a subordinate officer, financial entanglements between the two, and what investigators described as direct insubordination during the probe itself.
The inquiry traces back to June 9, when Fulshear city management received an anonymous letter questioning promotions granted to a lieutenant in the department, according to FOX 26 Houston. The letter specifically asked how many times that officer had been promoted since 2014, a detail that would later prove central to the investigation's findings. As CW39 Houston reported, city investigators told council the relationship in question had, in fact, happened.
The inquiry also focused on Seymour's relationship with the subordinate officer, per the same FOX 26 account. The station's report also described the administrative review as it unfolded.
Financial Ties and an Order Ignored
Beyond the relationship itself, the city's external investigator concluded Seymour had financially entangled himself with his subordinate, paying for her rent, plane tickets, and other personal expenses, as reported by ABC13 Houston. Investigators also found Seymour committed direct insubordination by discussing the active investigation with department staff after he had been explicitly ordered not to, the outlet's report states.
The officer at the center of the case had risen to the rank of lieutenant within the department. She resigned from the Fulshear Police Department.
A Procedural Defense Falls Short
Seymour's attorney asked council to delay its decision, citing what he described as flaws in the investigation, per CW39 Houston. The attorney also challenged the scope of the investigation, according to FOX 26 Houston.
Seymour attended Tuesday's meeting but did not speak following the vote, CW39 Houston reported. Because administrative disciplinary reviews of law enforcement heads may ordinarily be handled in closed executive session, the airing of sworn court records and investigator findings in open session was itself notable. Seymour exercised his legal right to request a public hearing rather than a private one, per Community Impact, allowing residents and reporters to watch the investigator's presentation and the defense's objections play out in real time.
Council Cites Public Trust
District 5 Council Member Randy Connor addressed the chamber before the vote, telling those present that public trust in local government had been compromised. He emphasized the decision was not a reflection on the dedication of the department's rank-and-file officers, according to FOX 26 Houston's coverage of the meeting. Council members expressed unanimous support for remaining police personnel as they moved to remove their chief.
The city manager can appoint and remove the police chief with council approval. The department was temporarily under city-manager direction, and administrative duties will continue until an interim or permanent chief is named. An interim or new chief will be appointed, per CW39.
Fifteen Years, a Transformed City
Seymour was appointed police chief on August 26, 2011. By 2026, he was leading the Fulshear Police Department. His tenure also extended beyond police work.
Fulshear, located in Fort Bend County, has been described as a rapidly growing Houston suburb, and Seymour's removal leaves that expanding department under an interim structure while the city searches for its next chief. Questions remain open about who will ultimately fill the role.
