Amarillo’s police chief, Martin Birkenfeld, has elected to retire following public outcry over his support of a former high school coach convicted of sexually exploiting a 15-year-old student.
Birkenfeld, who was suspended last week, submitted his resignation during a recent meeting of the Amarillo City Council. In response, the city posted an online statement saying it had “mutually agreed to part ways” with the police chief.
The city’s decision has garnered some negative reactions after it was revealed that Birkenfeld had written a letter to a federal judge praising the character of Cole Underwood, a Perryton ISD football coach who pled guilty to federal charges of enticement of a minor, according to a report from Texas Scorecard.
Underwood, who previously worked as a coach at Amarillo ISD, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for engaging in sexual acts with the minor more than a dozen times while he was serving as the athletic director at Perryton ISD. During his court hearing earlier this month, Birkenfeld’s letter in support of Underwood raised eyebrows, with the police chief asking the court to consider the coach’s “redeeming qualities” and his lack of a criminal history. The letter was read aloud at the sentencing hearing on February 11.
Birkenfeld’s letter and his public defense of Underwood, who had a history of inappropriate behavior with female students, even allegedly earning the nickname “Perv” during his tenure at Amarillo ISD, led to a wave of criticism. Some community members felt that Birkenfeld’s actions disrespected the severity of the crime and raised questions about his judgment and leadership as Amarillo’s police chief, per Texas Scorecard.
Activist Mark Lee Dickson, who had raised concerns about Birkenfeld’s potential conflicts of interest for nearly a year, expressed frustration with the city’s handling of the matter. Dickson said that Birkenfeld’s connection to the case was compounded by his family ties to local legal figures, including his daughter-in-law, Aubrey Reinhardt Birkenfeld, an assistant criminal district attorney in Randall County. According to Dickson, these connections created an ethical concern, or conflict of interest, that the city council ignored.
Birkenfeld’s resignation marks the end of his tenure as the city’s police chief, and Assistant Police Chief Jimmy Johnson will serve as acting chief while officials search for a permanent replacement.