City swears in first district police chief

LONGVIEW – Longview ISD held a ceremony on Monday to swear in Benjamin Kemper as the first police chief of the newly developed district police department. Prior to joining the district’s police department, Kemper worked with the Longview Police Department for twenty-four years, where he most recently served as Assistant Police Chief. Over his career, he has led patrol operations, criminal investigations, support services and special operations, including service as SWAT Commander and Captain of the Operations Bureau.

Before joining Longview ISD, Kemper earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Oklahoma.

During the ceremony Kemper spoke about what his new job means and why he believes it is a important role in the community.

“It’s the commitment to protecting everybody within the school district. It’s not just the students or staff, it’s about making sure that we can create the safest learning environment we can for everybody,” Kemper said. “So our students can come to school every day without the fear of safety concerns.So our students can come to school every day without the fear of safety concerns. and they can come here to learn what our district is about.”