Few people leave a fingerprint on a city the way Patrick Stallings did on Seagoville. For nearly 17 years, he served the community first with a badge, then with a desk full of budgets, council meetings, and long term plans for growth.
Stallings died unexpectedly on February 6, 2025, in Red Oak, Texas, at age 60. He left behind a legacy that now lives on through the renaming of the old police building at 600 Hwy. 175, now known as the Patrick Stallings Communications and Detention Center.
But the building is only one piece of the story. To understand why the city chose to honor him this way, it helps to look back at the two careers he built inside Seagoville government.
Rising Through the Ranks of Law Enforcement
Stallings took over as Chief of the Seagoville Police Department in April 2008. He arrived with a background suited for the job. He held a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree from Dallas Baptist University and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. He was also a graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy and the Bill Blackwood Leadership Command College, two of the most respected training programs in American law enforcement.
Under his leadership, the Seagoville Police Department earned Recognized Status from the Texas Police Chiefs Best Practices Program. That distinction is not handed out easily. Departments must meet a long list of standards covering policy, training, and operations before earning the honor.
Stallings led the department through some of its most difficult moments, including violent crimes that tested the small town force. He often served as the public face of the department during emergencies, briefing residents and the press as officers worked to keep the community safe.
A New Chapter in City Hall
In 2015, Seagoville found itself in need of new leadership at the top of city government. Stallings stepped into the interim City Manager role and handled it for roughly four and a half months before the City Council made it official.
On November 2, 2015, the council voted to appoint him as the permanent City Manager of Seagoville. By that point, he had already built more than 32 years of experience in municipal government, a resume few candidates could match.
The transition from police chief to city manager is not a common path, but Stallings made it look natural. He understood the department from the inside, he understood the council from his years working alongside it, and he understood what the community expected from both.
When he made the move, Stallings personally recommended Captain Ray Calverley to take over as the new Police Chief. The two had worked together for more than seven years, and Stallings expressed full confidence in Calverley’s ability to lead the department forward.
A Decade of Steady Leadership
Stallings went on to serve as City Manager for nearly a decade, guiding Seagoville through years of steady growth until his death in early 2025. Combined with his time as police chief, his total service to the city stretched across roughly 17 years.
That kind of tenure is rare in any city government. Police chiefs and city managers often move from town to town throughout their careers. Stallings chose to stay, building both departments from a position of deep institutional knowledge that only comes from years on the ground.
A Legacy That Remains
Following his death, the City of Seagoville lowered flags to half staff in his honor. According to the City of Seagoville, his leadership, dedication, and service made a lasting impact on the community, and his legacy would continue to live on in the city he served so passionately.
Now, with the old police building renamed in his honor, that legacy has a permanent home. Every officer, dispatcher, and detainee who passes through the Patrick Stallings Communications and Detention Center will do so under a name that represents nearly two decades of service to Seagoville, first behind a badge, then behind a desk, but always for the same community.
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