After 38 years with the League City Police Department, LCPD Chief Gary Ratliff is retiring. Chief Ratliff started with LPCD in 1985 as a patrol officer and worked his way up through the ranks, becoming Assistant Chief in 2006 and Chief in January 2018. During his tenure he has been a supervisor in every division at LCPD and has served in the following specialty positions:
- Advanced Accident Investigator
- Assistant SWAT Commander
- Detective
- Field Training Coordinator
- Honor Guard
- Internal Affairs Investigator
- Public Information Officer
- SWAT Negotiator
Chief Ratliff is a graduate of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, the FBI National Academy, and received his certification as a Certified Public Manager in 2021 from the University of Houston.
“Our police department is one of the very best and that is a direct result of Chief Ratliff’s commitment to excellence as he leads by example,” said City Manager John Baumgartner. “I am proud of him and all he has accomplished during his League City career. We are all better because of his service.”
When asked about what he is most proud of during his service over the last 38 years, Ratliff said, “I think the greatest accomplishment for me has been the involvement that I have had in helping to build and form this department. Throughout the years, we have created and deployed many programs to enhance and improve the services that we provide for our citizens. We work together as a team to deliver the best possible services to our citizens we can, and we are always looking for ways to do that better. The citizens of League City are great, and there is no other community that I would have wanted to serve over the last 38 years. I am confident that as I move on, the next Chief of Police will continue with this same mindset.”
Chief Ratliff’s last day will be June 30, 2023. Upon his departure, LCPD Assistant Chief Cliff Woitena will serve as League City’s interim police chief. Woitena began with LCPD in 1999 as a patrol officer and has served as an LCPD Patrol Commander, Training Unit Supervisor, Operations Bureau Commander, Tactical Operations Commander, and with the Office of Professional Standards. In addition, Woitena is a senior adjunct instructor at Texas State University as part of their Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERTT) program, which provides research-based, active shooter response training for law enforcement officers nationwide.