Page 143 - Watauga FY21 Budget

GENERAL FUND

DEPARTMENT: POLICE
DIVISION / ACTIVITY: POLICE DIVISION – FUND 01-080
LOCATION: HOURS OF OPERATION:
7101 Whitley Road 24 hours / 365 days
Watauga, Texas 76148
Phone Number: 817-514-5870
MISSION / PROGRAMS / SERVICES:

The mission of the Watauga Police Department is to provide the highest quality police services while
safeguarding individual liberties and building positive community relationships. Our mandate is to
reduce both crime and the fear of crime through training, technology and the implementation of the
most modern and progressive resources available. The Watauga Police Department is responsible for
all crime prevention, crime reports, crime investigations, traffic law enforcement, professional standards
and animal services.

FY2019-2020 HIGHLIGHTS / ACHIEVEMENTS:

x Hired staff to fill all currently funded positions and successfully trained and retained all positions
during Fiscal Year 2019-2020.
x With appropriate staffing we revitalized our bike patrol and back filled specialized positions such
as Traffic and CID.
x Held Coffee with the Cops community socials.
x Began community engagement with Civic Space for upgrading police facility.

FY2020-2021 GOALS/ OBJECTIVES:

x Maintain recognition status in the Texas Police Chiefs Association.
x Enhance community outreach by meeting with local religious leaders.
x Increase events to engage the community such as Snow Cones and Cops.
x Increase use of social media and web services such as Civic Space to obtain feedback and
engagement of the community.
x Maintain staffing levels to reduce response times by having sufficient officers available.

MAJOR BUDGETARY ISSUES AND OPERATIONAL TRENDS:

The primary budget concern is the reduction in the budget due to the economy shortfall during the
Covid-19 Pandemic. This shortfall will affect training opportunities and equipment replacement options.
There is also an impact in the area of projections for the number of events and contacts in some
aspects of the department due to the unknown future of school resuming and the ability to host
community gatherings.

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