Baker, Counter, Orr Named to Copperas Cove Leadership Ahead of March Retirements

The City of Copperas Cove announced that three officers will move into new leadership positions effective March 7, 2026, a set of internal reassignments the city said is part of “proactive planning tied to upcoming retirements and future promotional opportunities.” The changes are intended to strengthen recruiting, training and community engagement across Copperas Cove.

Lieutenant Krystal Baker will transition into Training and Personnel, where the city release says she will oversee recruiting, hiring and departmental training. The release also notes Lieutenant Baker will continue managing the department’s social media platforms as part of her new duties.

Lieutenant Rick Counter will assume responsibility for Community Relations and serve as the department’s primary contact for media and community needs, according to the city. Kdhnews reported Counter was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant and that the department celebrated his promotion during a ceremony at department headquarters, where Chief Eddie Wilson and Deputy Police Chief Jeremy Alber spoke. Kdhnews noted that no type of obstacle, such as fewer resources or fewer people than needed for mission accomplishment, has slowed Counter down throughout his career. “Imagine setting a goal for yourself and not being impeded by those types of obstacles,” Wilson said.

Sergeant Justin Orr will also transition into Community Relations to assist with outreach and strengthen engagement across the city, per the city news release. The release frames the three assignments as part of the department’s commitment to preparing current and future officers for long-term success as retirements take effect next month.

The city directed media and community relations traffic to a single point of contact, stating, “Effective March 7, 2026, all media and community relations inquiries should be directed to ccpdcommunity@copperascovetx.gov.” The City of Copperas Cove lists its municipal offices at 914 South Main Street, Copperas Cove, TX 76522, and a general phone number of 254-547-4221 on the news page announcing the leadership transitions.

Separately, Coveleaderpress reported that Copperas Cove added three patrol officers after graduation from the Central Texas College Police Academy. The Class of 2025 Charlie Class graduated 26 cadets; William Frame, Justin Jaccaud and Officer Santos were sworn in on Dec. 12 at CTC’s board room immediately after the graduation ceremony. A cadet address at the graduation said, “Today is not the finish line. It’s the starting point. The learning doesn’t stop here. The training doesn’t stop here. The responsibility only goes from here. As we move into field training with our agencies, we will face moments that test our judgment, our courage and our character, but we’re ready, because this academy prepares not just to do the job, but to honor the badge out there. We are the calm in the chaos. We are the steady voice in crisis. We are the line that stands between fear and safety and every call, every contact, every decision, is an opportunity to make someone’s darkest moments a little brighter.” Lt. Martin Ruiz of the Copperas Cove Police Department added, “In all transparency and all honesty, this is a proud moment for me. I’m always proud to see new officers, new energy coming into our organization, but I can’t say that’s what I’m most proud of today. It might sound corny, I’ve been doing this a really long time, but probably the thing I’m proud of most every day is getting to put my badge on, coming to the office, coming to work, and representing all of those that I just introduced to you, representing our community, representing our city, representing our council.”

The city release separates the leadership reassignments from the December swearing-in of new patrol officers and frames both items as elements of a broader staffing and training pipeline as Copperas Cove PD prepares for retirements scheduled in March.