MIDDLETON, Idaho —
Middleton Mayor Steve Rule released a statement regarding incidents leading up to the resignation of the city’s police chief, Alan Takeuchi, Thursday afternoon.
Takeuchi resigned Tuesday night ahead of a city council meeting where council members were set to consider removing him from his job.
In his statement, Rule said that in April of 2022 an officer brought a complaint forward against the police chief and a fellow officer. The mayor and City Administrator assigned a third-party investigator to conduct an independent and impartial investigation.
According to Rule, the assigned investigator presented information to city council during executive sessions in June that revealed evidence of multiple policy violations.
The mayor said the handling of these violations showed leadership failure within the police department, but there was no evidence of criminal misconduct.
Takeuchi was given an opportunity to address and remedy the violations, Rule said, but ultimately the mayor and city council decided it was in the best interest of the city to consider removing Takeuchi from his position.
However, as previously mentioned, Takeuchi resigned July 5 before the matter was taken up, while the officer in question, Greg Langley, resigned June 29.
Rule concluded the statement by wishing Takeuchi and Langley the best. He said the city wants to move forward in a positive direction and they will not provide further information on the matter, citing "confidential personnel matters".
According to the Idaho Press, Takeuchi was made interim chief in 2017 after the former chief, Bryan Zimmerman, resigned.
The Middleton Police Department was created in 2014 after years of contracting with the Canyon County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services.
In a statement posted to a Middleton Community Facebook Group Friday morning, Takeuchi said:
"It breaks my heart to have to write this statement. As you all have heard, I have resigned as the Chief of Police for the Middleton Police Department. Over the past couple of days, I have felt an overwhelming amount of support from community members, friends, and family. This support begins to ease that pain.
I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into developing our department. I did not do it alone. There are some great officers at the department that I have had the pleasure of working with side by side. Some of these officers and I have developed a trust within our community to meet our motto of "safer streets, stronger community". I have always looked out for what is best for the city and our officers all while doing the right thing.
Unfortunately, the city wishes to pursue a different direction for the police department that I could no longer be a part of. As a law enforcement officer and Chief, some of the most essential qualities are ethics and integrity. If an officer does not have these, they have no business being in this profession. If these qualities are no longer a focus in the department, it is time to move on. For me, it is time to move on. There are many rumors going around questioning my character or making false allegations that lead into this one-sided internal investigation. One thing I know is the truth and what I stand for, and no one can take that away from me.
It has been my honor to serve all of you for the past 7 years as a police officer, and Chief of Police. There are amazing people here. You all are what makes this community great. This community is my family's home, and we will stand tall with our head held high.
I wish the officers that supported me the best of luck in continuing to serve this city. I wish the citizens the best of luck continuing to make this a great place to live. This community is strong; keep moving forward."
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