LP 40 for 40 – Police Chief Ed Drain
The Plano Chamber of Commerce’s signature program, Leadership Plano, celebrates its 40th anniversary! For the past 40 years, Leadership Plano has been dedicated to educating, developing, and empowering current and future leaders for the community and motivating them to serve civic, charitable, and business organizations.
We are celebrating the impact of the past 40 years by spotlighting 40 Leadership Plano graduates who have paved the way for future generations, created meaningful change for the community, and continue to serve in leadership roles. This celebratory series, Leadership Plano 40 for 40, is Presented by UBS – The Kravitz Group.
Introducing our next spotlight, Leadership Plano Class 33 Graduate, Ed Drain, Police Chief for the Plano Police Department. Chief Drain started his law enforcement career with the Plano Police Department in 1994. He worked in Patrol, the Neighborhood Police Unit, and Traffic Investigations. Chief Drain also served on the SWAT Team and the Bomb Squad. He progressed through the ranks as a Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain. In 2006, Chief Drain was appointed as the Assistant Police Chief, a position he held for ten years. During that time, Chief Drain managed all department operational areas, including Patrol Services, Criminal Investigations, and Support Services.
From June 2015 to September 2015, Chief Drain served as the Interim Chief for the Murphy Police Department while still employed with the Plano Police Department. In July 2016, Chief Drain was appointed as the Interim Chief for the Amarillo Police Department. In October 2016, Chief Drain was formally selected as the Police Chief for the Amarillo Police Department. In February 2020, Chief Drain returned to Plano as the Police Chief.
Before his law enforcement career, Chief Drain served as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officer in the U.S. Army. Upon leaving active military service, he continued to serve in the Army Reserves. Between April 2004 and April 2005, he was recalled to active duty and assigned to the Third U.S. Army Corps in Iraq, where he was awarded a Bronze Star and other military decorations. Chief Drain retired from the Army Reserves in 2007 as a Lieutenant Colonel with 24 years of active and reserve military service.
1. What first made you interested in participating in Leadership Plano?
I was serving as an Assistant Police Chief at the time, and I wanted to learn more about the various entities in the community that the Police Department could partner with to help us address the myriad of social issues we often dealt with.
2. What is the most memorable part of your experience (or what is something that was happening in Plano that you remember about that year)?
The most memorable part of my Leadership Plano experience was the realization of how much I did not know about my community before participating in the class. Even though I had worked in local government for over 25 years at the time, participating in Leadership Plano broadened my perspective on the vast array of resources in the Plano community.
3. Why do you think LP is so impactful for our community?
Leadership Plano is so impactful for our community because it prepares individuals to assume leadership roles in a wide variety of venues in the Plano community, such as local government, education, non-profits, and others.
4. What is one thing you can attribute to LP that is a success in your life or career?
The kick-off weekend retreat was very beneficial for me personally. During the retreat, I learned valuable lessons about my own personality and leadership style that I found useful well after I graduated from the class.
5. If your class had a class project, what was it and why was it important?
Because our class was the most organized, the most creative and the most energetic class to participate in the program ever! We also had the best community project which was assisting Lovepacs in providing food for needy school children during school breaks.
