TCOLE: Dr. Candice says Tyler PD Lack of Diverse Policing Experience

TYLER, Texas (TXAN 24) — A TXAN 24 News review of official TCOLE records shows Tyler Police Department’s top guns—Chief Jimmy Toler, Lieutenant Adam Tarrant, and Lieutenant Lukas Neubauer—have spent their entire law enforcement careers at Tyler PD, with zero experience in any other jurisdiction.

Community advocate Dr. Candice Matthews is calling that a “systemic risk” to public trust and transparency.

“All three men have ONLY served at one department their entire careers: Tyler Police Department,” Matthews wrote in a statement. “No prior service in any other jurisdiction. No external law enforcement experience. No exposure to different leadership structures or accountability systems outside of Smith County.”

Matthews warned this creates a dangerous echo chamber, where internal loyalty can override public accountability.

“That breeds complacency—and protects the status quo,” she said. “When officers rise through the ranks without outside influence, misconduct can be covered up, cultures of silence are reinforced, and meaningful reform is stalled.”

The statement also questioned how effective this leadership can be in a racially and economically diverse city like Tyler, when none of them have served in larger, urban communities.

“They police a diverse community without diverse experience,” Matthews added. “They lead without understanding the lived realities of the people they’re sworn to protect.”

Citing no external certifications, transfers, or outside rotations, Matthews is now calling for an independent audit of the department’s leadership.

TXAN 24 News has contacted the Tyler Police Department for response.