GALVESTON — Charles Wiley, the Houston Independent School District police chief, will take over as Galveston's police chief July 7 if the city council approves the appointment.

"It really is a matter of me coming home more than anything else," said Wiley, who started his police career on the island almost 40 years ago.

After hearing news of Wiley's appointment, Interim Chief Phillip Morris resigned from the department effective June 30.

Wiley beat 42 other applicants from across the country who applied for the job, which former chief Kenneth Mack vacated in April after a rash of complaints and probes into the department.

Wiley said he hoped to improve the police department's image and would work toward creating a service-oriented police force.

"I know (the police department) has had a difficult time," he said. "I'm committed to make things better. Galveston is a very historical city, and change is often difficult to come by. I think that, based on the employees I've talked to, the Galveston Police Department is ready to embrace change."

Wiley worked as a Galveston patrol officer from 1969 to 1972. He worked for the Galveston County Sheriff's Office from 1972 to 1982.

He said he kept his Galveston home and paid attention to Galveston police news even when he moved to South Carolina and other areas of Texas.

"We're going to try to do things that need to be done," he said. "The concerns of citizens are important, and we can become a service-oriented place."

In an e-mail to the city council, City Manager Steve LeBlanc said council members would be able to meet Wiley and vote on his appointment at the June 26 council meeting.

"I believe that Mr. Wiley is the best candidate to bring the police department together and move it forward," LeBlanc said.

Wiley was born in Galveston, attended public schools and earned his associate's degree from Galveston College. He has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a master's degree from the University of South Carolina.

Before taking the Houston school district police chief job in 2006, Wiley worked as the chief in Denton for four years, headed the police department at the Medical University of South Carolina from 1998 to 2001 and also worked the Charleston, Mt. Pleasant and Georgetown police departments in South Carolina.