Middleton police chief quits before council was to consider removing him. What we know
Middleton’s police chief, who has spent five years with the department, resigned Wednesday afternoon, the mayor said.
The Middleton City Council was scheduled to consider Chief Alan Takeuchi’s removal at its Wednesday night council meeting, but he resigned ahead of the meeting, Mayor Steve Rule said in a text message to the Statesman.
It is not clear why he was set to be removed. In a memo included in a Facebook post on July 1, Rule had written that Takeuchi was on paid administrative leave but still employed with the department. He did not specify any reasons for the leave.
Another officer, Greg Langley, resigned on June 29, the memo said.
Sgt. Nathan Hilkey is the interim chief, the memo said.
Takeuchi has been a familiar figure in Middleton since he was a deputy in the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office patrolling the city. According to previous Idaho Statesman reporting, he was hired away from the Sheriff’s Office by the city’s first chief, Brian Zimmerman, in February 2015, two months after the city created its own police department. When Zimmerman resigned in May 2017, citing personal reasons, Takeuchi succeeded him, the Idaho Press reported at the time.
Takeuchi, whose possible removal was first reported by KTVB, did not respond to a Facebook message seeking comment.
Several community members commented in multiple Facebook posts about Rule’s memo. Nearly all came to Takeuchi’s and Langley’s defense. Takeuchi appears to be a coach at Middleton High School, according to a Facebook post.
Losing “great men like Alan and Greg would be a huge step in the wrong direction,” one post said.
“This is not in the best interest of Middleton’s community,” another post said. “Both Chief Takeuchi and Officer Langley are huge assets to this community.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 1:42 PM.
CORRECTION: This story was updated to correct the name of the former Middleton police chief. His name is Brian Zimmerman.
