KYLE — Kyle Police Department Chief Jeff Barnett provided an update on the department, as well as presented the $24 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025-26 at the Kyle City Council special meeting May 31.
According to the presentation, “the Kyle Police Department is committed to supporting the city’s growth by enhancing safety, increasing staffing and adopting innovative crime prevention and engagement strategies.” The chief began with an organizational chart, as “it’s easy to think about the uniformed police officer and perhaps the 911 operator when you call the police department,” but that the department is multifaceted and divided into five major bureaus: administrative services; emergency communications; records; operations, including the mental health division; criminal investigation, which has been enhanced this year with a forensic investigative unit; and executive services.
“When we look at our growth in the community, you can probably certainly expect some additional calls for service,” he said. “Our calls for service continue to increase as we grow in population and as we provide entertainment and dining locations and additional places for people to stay in our community and enjoy Kyle, those do lend themselves to additional calls for service.”
The top 10 calls for 2024 were as follows:
• Follow up: 2,435
• Accident: 2,243
• Alarm: 1,465
• Reckless Driving: 1,140
• Suspicious activity: 1,209
• Assault: 1,162
• Traffic/ roadway: 1,068
• Information: 911
• Welfare concern: 844
• Theft/ stolen: 745 Data shows that, on average, KPD was responding to priority one calls — those that require immediate response, such as serious injury, threats of serious injury or critical incidents — within six minutes.
In the year 2025, Barnett explained that the department is anticipating 3,500 more calls, though KPD has noticed that “the more officers we have in the field, the less people actually have to call for police services.”
This may be that this is deterring crime, Barnett said, since potential criminals might pass on Kyle as their destination, due to the amount of police presence, or it could be it allows officers to look and intervene in suspicious activities themselves, rather than to be called to a scene.
“[Public information officer Ashlee] Bradshaw is doing a great job on that.
We see her on the news; she’s giving great reporting on that,” said council member Michael Tobias. “Co-workers I have say, ‘Hey, I see you guys are on the news again’ … which could relate to the crime rate because there are people out there — the bad boys and girls, the criminals — they watch the news, too.
They see the social media. So, if they see that our Kyle Police Department is really involved in the community … they might turn another way.”
KPD also expects animal control calls to increase by 230 before the end of the year.
Currently, there are 74 sworn officers, said Barnett, out of the authorized 82.
“With more and more of the Vybe Trail being activated, as we go through this next year, have you guys started to form a plan of how you will keep it safe,” asked council member Bear Heiser.
In response, Barnett shared that there is a grant being worked on by another city department that would supply electric vehicles and bicycles.
He also noted that the bike program is being revamped.
It began in 2011 and was predominately used for parades and special events and around shopping centers during the holidays, but now there have been new bike patrol officers added that will be working on the Vybe Trail on a regular basis.
Regarding the FY 25-26 budget, KPD is requesting a 22.73% increase of $4,624,881 for a total of $24,968,720.
“For the most part, most of our personnel positions that we’re asking you to consider, are matrix related,” said Barnett, as city council previously requested a matrix study to evaluate operations and staffing levels at the police department, which is what made many of these non-sworn recommendations*:
• Emergency management coordinator — planner*
• Fleet technician
• Two real-time crime center analysts*
• Community engagement coordinator
• Forensics and evidence supervisor*
• Administrative services supervisor* As far as sworn positions, KPD also requested a K9 police officer and a narcotics sergeant.
“In 2024, we had 32 foot pursuits.
Thirty-two calls for service, we had people flee from police officers. Out of those, there were over 40 individuals … [Our police officers] want to be safer in their job and they want to quickly apprehend those that flee on foot.
Many of those foot chases that we had resulted in hours and hours of police services to surround an area,” the chief explained. “Having a police K9 dog that could go out and assist in tracking would help them locate criminals faster [and] disrupt the neighborhoods for shorter duration.”
The city is at a size, he continued, where a K9 unit should be present.
According to the chief, 86% of police agencies that are the city’s size have a K9 unit.
Barnett ranked the top five positions in order of most needed: 1. Emergency management coordinator — planner 2. Fleet technician 3. K9 police officer 4. Real-time crime center analysts 5. Community engagement coordinator “One of the things I would really like to see expanded in our department is reaching out to our immigrant population through the New American Center. I was surprised at how many refugees, certified refugees, that come in through the formal refugee program are living in Kyle — well over 600 from Africa — and they have multiple needs,” explained council member Lauralee Harris. “One of the needs identified was, ‘How do we work with the police?
We’re scared of them.’” A meeting has already been conducted with one of these groups, said Barnett, and KPD has agreed to offer services with them. This is an example, continued the chief, of how an engagement coordinator could benefit the community because if KPD had one, they could create a better experience and communication for these groups.
Council member Robert Rizo was in support of this position, especially with the possibility of them working closer with schools in Hays CISD.
In addition to these positions, Barnett stated that the victim services and forensic investigation and emergency communications positions could benefit from on-call pay. This would not mean that there are staff from these departments on call each weekend, but there are specific times throughout the year that would be beneficial. If approved, each individual on call would receive two hours of pay for being on call for 24 hours.
Operational requests include: Flock drone safety, two LCRA radio consoles, keytrak, two new motorcycles, WCCTV tower system, new vehicle lease, replacement vehicle leases, Polaris RANGER, firearms and motorcycle trailers, CVE weight scales and uniform increase.
“There’s a program called ‘Drone as a First Responder.’ It’s a launchable drone — pretty good size one — that would automatically launch to dedicated locations when we have emergencies of an appropriate type,” said Barnett. “The drone would be placed on the roof of a city owned building and when a call for service gets entered by a dispatcher, that’s connected to the drone, the drone automatically launches, it flies at 53 miles an hour at 400 feet and will be at most locations in the city of Kyle in about three minutes. So, we’ll have eyes on the location before the officer ever gets there … We’ll get a good assessment of what’s going on.”
The drone could also be operated by the real-time crime analysts to take over the drone and possibly follow a suspect vehicle if it leaves.
Furthermore, if the battery is low, the drone will automatically return and do a battery exchange itself within a matter of seconds, he explained.
“Chief, how is that not better than a dog,” disputed Mayor Travis Mitchell. “The compelling story you gave is that your police officers are worried about their safety running through [a scene]. I feel like they’re going to be out there running no matter what, but a drone is just so much better at being able to get to a scene faster and if someone leaves on foot, you can track them safely.”
“The only thing is, unless we have the pilot that’ll take over … the drone will only go to the geographic location of where the call is located,” replied Barnett.
Mitchell continued, stating that the drone program “is the way of the future” and that there are a lot of good reasons for the drone instead of the dog, as “you cannot outrun a drone.”
Tobias argued for the dog, as the drone and the K9 unit can work together. For example, if the drone tracks an individual to a covered area of trees, the K9 can go into the brush and hold the individual there until reinforcements arrive.
Mitchell and Tobias continued for their respective sides.
“There are a lot of traumatizing situations that I have heard about, testimonials from folks … I don’t like the idea philosophically of a K9 unit,” emphasized Mitchell. “If I had to choose between the methods of investment between a K9 unit and between drone technology — in terms of what, in my view, would be the safest, least invasive way, particularly towards disenfranchised and minority folks — would be the drone technology.”
Barnett concluded the presentation by noting that the department is aware not all requests will be approved.
“Chief, thank you for the presentation,” said Rizo. “Two of the things that really stuck out to me were the drone and the K9. I think both of them would be really beneficial.”
To listen to the discussion, along with the presentation of the city’s Strategic Plan & Core Values update and the preliminary five-year financial plan, visit bit.ly/3Zbk8np.
Council will meet again to discuss budget-related items at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 7.
