Chief David Board

To The Honorable Tom Scott, Mayor of the City of Bastrop:

On behalf of the City of Bastrop Police Department, I am pleased to present to you, the City Council, and to the citizens of this great city the department's 2005 Annual Report.

This annual report is only a small sampling of the hard work, dedication and outstanding accomplishments and the professional services provided by the men and women of this agency.

Bastrop is an exceptionally fast growing city, and I believe that the efforts of our police officers and support personnel have made a positive impact on the quality of life in our community. We pledge to continue to meet the growing needs of our citizens and our employees and we will do it with pride, dignity and professionalism.

Please take this opportunity to review our report and should you have any questions please do not hesitate to give me a call.

David L. Board,
Chief of Police

Mission Statement

Members of the Bastrop Police Department realize our authority is given to us by the citizens who have relinquished to us the power to make arrests. We further realize that we are the only profession that can take an individual's right of freedom away.
The mission of the Bastrop Police Department is to uphold individual liberty, freedom and the protec-tion of property to all citizens through enforcing city ordinances, state law and federal statutes.
Members of the Bastrop Police Department accept the challenges that confront them daily and will strive to project a positive, professional and neutral image while carrying out their duties.

Motor vehicle crashes within Bastrop city limits have declined in 2004-2005, compared to 2002-2003. With the opening of the State Highway 71 fly-over and its increased speed and traffic, officials anticipate more crashes in 2006 than 2005. Traffic and misdemeanor citations have increased by more than 60 per cent since 2003.

The 2005 BPD operating budget totaled $1,270,325. These funds support the department's 22 employees in the their responsibilities to serve Bastrop.

The Bastrop Police Department is committed to the safety and well being of our community. To ensure this we provide programs teaching and involving citizens in crime prevention and public safety.

One program is the Citizen's Police Academy. In an 7-week program, citizen volunteers are instructed by BPD all aspects of law enforcement. After successfully completing the program, citizens are eligible to ride along with BPD officers, receiving a bird's eye view of the crime occurring in the Bastrop community. Academy graduates are also eligible to join the Citizen's Police Academy alumni Association, an organization designed to support the Police Department by providing volunteer services such as office support or assisting in other crime prevention projects.

BPD has also started a Volunteer Park Ranger Program . This program also uses volunteers to assist the department in protecting umicipal park lands by patrolling our many parks. During the Christmas season, volunteer rangers patrolled the River of Lights every evening, reducing incidents of vandalism during their patrols to zero.

Another BPD crime prevention initiative Neighborhood Watch Program, which brings neighbors together to communicate about possible criminal activity in the area. Our crime prevention officer can assist with home and business security surveys. A similar program is Neighborhood Night Out, designed to bring the entire community out of their homes for one evening to take a stand against crime. BPD assists with about 12 block parties each year.

BPD also participates in a program called "Safe Riders". Designed to make sure all children have a safe car seat before they ride in a vehicle, the department distributes free car seats to parents who are in need and complete a class.

Detective Jose Rizo helps record a young Bastropian's fingerprints at a Neighborhood