BRENHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT CHANGING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

  

The Brenham Police Department is undergoing a major shift in its structure.

Brenham Police Chief Ron Parker told the city council today (Thursday) that due to loss of staffing and struggles with recruiting, the police department has adjusted its organizational chart to be “more streamlined and trimmed down.”

Parker said the department has lost almost 18 percent of its total workforce, including both civilian and sworn personnel, and almost 20 percent of its licensed police officers.  He called the reasons for this “multi-faceted.”

Parker said attempts to bring in new employees have not been very successful thus far, in no small part due to the other agencies Brenham is competing with.

 

Parker said these staffing challenges go beyond the police department, extending across the city and to other law enforcement agencies.

 

Part of the organizational shift of the department includes the reduction from two police captains to one, that being Captain Lloyd Powell, with the second captain’s position being transitioned into one of a patrol officer.  The other captain was longtime officer and former interim police chief Dant Lange, who is no longer with the department.  KWHI asked the city about Lange’s departure, but the city declined to comment.  KWHI has reached out to Parker and filed a public information request for details on if Lange’s exit was part of the restructuring plan or if it was due to other factors.

In addition, Parker said many of the department’s previous standalone units or sections, like the Crime Reduction Unit, have been blended into the Criminal Investigations Unit.  A reason for that, he said, is because the department has “lost half of our detectives.”  One of those is another officer who had been with the department for a number of years, Jared Campbell.  Other personnel have been transferred to patrols, where Parker said the bulk of the department’s needs are.

Parker called the new organizational make-up “more hybrid and fluid,” able to flex and change based on daily needs, and more focused on “the basic priorities for our citizens.”  He said a side effect is that the department’s community services and outreach programs will take a hit, namely due to the community resource officer position now sitting vacant.  He also expects that for the foreseeable future, crime rates may grow and response times to certain categories will creep up as officers “become more tied down with investigations, reports, and just simply being overworked.”

Despite the staff shortages, Parker believes this is an opportunity for the department to improve its services and become leaner and more efficient.

Also at today’s meeting, the council:

• Held an executive session regarding the lease between the city and Washington County for the communications facility at 301 North Baylor Street. Afterwards, the council voted unanimously to approve a second extension of the lease agreement.
• Heard a presentation on the city’s Public Infrastructure Design Manual.
• Approved an ordinance on its first reading amending the Fiscal Year 2021-22 adopted budget.
• Received the Fiscal Year 2021-22 third quarter financial report.