2006 ANNUAL REPORT
City of Bastrop
Police Department
May, 2007

Uniformed Patrol Division

The Uniformed Patrol Division of the Bastrop Police Department is the largest division in the agency. Its primary functions are to respond to calls for service and act as a visible deterrent to crime. Twelve of the Department’s 20 Sworn Officers are assigned to the Patrol Division including two patrol sergeants. These officers responded to 7108 calls during 2006, compared to 6187 in 2005. These calls included not only responding to criminal activities, but also public safety services such as clearing traffic accidents, serving arrest warrants on suspected felons, responding to burglar alarms, providing health and welfare checks on elderly neighbors, and close patrolling of properties.

Bastrop Police Officers are committed to community policing. Our Park and Walk program allows our officers to establish rapport and to determine community concerns. In 2006, 1266 Park & Walk patrols were tallied, compared to 330 in 2005.

---

BPD IN THE COMMUNITY

The Bastrop Police Department is committed to community policing, for through this partnership we insure a safer community for all. The following programs allow us to work together with the community to achieve crime prevention and citizen safety.

• Citizens’ Police Academy - an eight-week program designed to educate the community about their Police Department.
  
  
• Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association - an auxiliary group providing both volunteer and monetary support to BPD.
  
  
• Volunteer Park Ranger Program - a program designed to train volunteer observers to monitor criminal activity in City parks.
  
  
• Neighborhood Watch - implemented in residential neighborhoods to educate neighbors to watch out for one another. Part of this program is participation in National Night Out, when residents come out of their houses to block parties as a show of support against crime.
  
  
• Safe Riders - in cooperation with Texas Dept. of Human Services, BPD educates parents on the proper use of car seats and provides a free seat to those in need.
  

---

For additional information on any of these programs, please contact the Bastrop Police Department at 512-321-5550.

---

BPD’s 4th Annual Turkey Drive was a huge success again this year with over $600 raised from a carwash, bake sale and the generosity of the citizens of Bastrop! This year the Department was able to provide 35 families with turkey and dressing, fruit and vegetables, rolls and dessert. It is always a blessing to see the smiles of the children and the gratitude of the parents when distributing these Thanksgiving dinners. The Police Department hopes to add TEN more families to their goal for next year’s event!

---

BPD holds Car Seat Safety classes for families needing help in obtaining a car seat for their children. After viewing a video and participating in classroom instruction, class members are given a brand new car seat to put into their vehicles.
More than 30 car seats were distributed in 2006.

To register for the Safe Rider class, please call Debbie Royal at (512) 321-5550, ext. #147.

---

Honor Guard

In 2006, under command of Sgt. Burnis Bobbitt, Patrol Supervisor, the Department’s Honor Guard detail has been revitalized and is available upon request for local military or law enforcement funeral services. Its mission is to honor all veterans. Members include police officers, both military veterans and non-veterans.
The Honor Guard performed at Bastrop’s Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day events in 2006.

Requests for the Honor Guard’s participation should be made as far in advance as possible by calling 512-321-5550.