Galveston police chief suspended Unspecified complaint to be investigated by outside agency

Chief Henry Porretto of the Galveston Police Department Chief Henry Porretto of the Galveston Police Department Photo: Photo By Galveston Police Department Photo: Photo By Galveston Police Department Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Galveston police chief suspended 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

GALVESTON – Galveston Police Chief Henry Porretto has been suspended and an interim chief appointed pending an investigation into a complaint about his conduct, a city spokeswoman said Thursday.

Porretto was suspended Wednesday, and David Smith, a former police officer and city director of fleet facilities, appointed interim chief, spokeswoman Kala McCain said.

McCain declined to discuss the nature of the complaint, which she said was brought by a city employee. She declined to disclose the name of the employee or whether the employee is a police officer.

An outside consultant will be hired next week to conduct an investigation, McCain said.