David Thomas
Chief of Police
936-633-0300
Chief of Police David Thomas began his law enforcement career in 1989 as a Patrolman for Lufkin Police Department. He attended Southwest Texas State University and graduated from the East Texas Police Academy.
During his 26 years of service to the citizens of Lufkin, Chief Thomas held positions in Lufkin PD’s Patrol, Community Policing, Criminal Investigations, and Special Services sections. His assignment to multiple sections of the Department provided him a wide knowledge base concerning all aspects of departmental operations. He served four years as Assistant Chief of Police before being named Chief of Police in June of 2018. He previously served in Lufkin PD's Special Services Section where he was Sergeant, Range Master, and Special Response Team Commander.
Chief Thomas holds numerous certifications through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, including Master Peace Officer and Advanced Instructor, and has completed more than 4,000 hours of law enforcement training.
In addition to Chief Thomas's duties for Lufkin PD, he is an Adjunct Instructor through Texas State University where he teaches Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training to officers around the country.
He and his wife, Crystal, have three boys, Garrett, Garrison, and Gannon.
David “Buddy” Cross
Assistant Police Chief
936-633-0300
David “Buddy” Cross grew up in Crockett, Texas and is a 1986 graduate of Crockett High School. He is married to Angela and has two children, David and Dana. He majored in Criminal Justice at Angelina College and attended the basic police academy in 1990. During his 30-year law enforcement career, David has served in several different capacities in law enforcement. He was an investigator for the Houston County Sheriff’s Department before moving over to the Houston County District Attorney’s Office as Investigator. David was asked to join the Crockett Police Department and worked his way up the ranks serving as Lieutenant for numerous years before becoming Chief of Police where he served in that capacity for 6 years.
David has served 14 years of his career with Lufkin Police Department as a Detective, specializing in Crimes Against Children Cases as well as serving as a Detective assigned to the Professional Standards/ Internal Affairs Division. David has his Master Peace Officer Certification and is a Certified Police Instructor, Firearms Instructor and Special Investigator through TCOLE. David is the past recipient of the Law Enforcement Officer of the year award in Houston County and was honored for his work with abused children from Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas in 2009.