An agreement approved by the Kyle City Council last week will call for a third-party consultant to conduct an audit of the Kyle Police Department.
Matrix Consulting Group, a California-based company which has experience working with other Texas cities, will review the police department’s policies and structure to offer recommendations for improvement.
The purpose of the audit is for city and police officials to get an objective, outside perspective on what the police department can do to improve, maximize personnel and become more efficient, said Captain Pedro Hernandez.
“Ultimately our goal is to provide the best law enforcement service to our community,” Hernandez said.
The audit will provide concrete implementable recommendations to grow and evolve the police department, said Mayor Todd Webster. As the city’s grown and changed, so has the police department, he said.
“The audit’s purpose is to bring in some expertise to help us identify how we can take the police department to that next level so it keeps pace with what we’re doing in the rest of the city in terms of improving our operations,” Webster said.
The consultant will evaluate the police department as a whole without targeting officers or management and provide solid recommendations that can be enacted, said City Manager Scott Sellers.
“We want to get solid recommendations that everyone can get behind as we move forward and continue to raise the bar,” Sellers said.
During the process, the consulting group will consider organization culture, internal communications and accountability. The consulting group will interview police officers and staff and conduct anonymous surveys.
The audit will likely evaluate policies, operational procedures, staffing and calls-for-service response, Hernandez said. It will also consider the department’s future growth.
“We’re one of the fastest growing cities in this area,” Hernandez said. “Along with that comes the need to build and grow the police department pretty fast as well.”
Hernandez said the audit is an opportunity to consider the department’s future and what planning is needed to serve the community as it rapidly grows.
According to the agreement, Matrix Consulting Group will complete the audit within 120 days of its start date and the city will pay the consultant a maximum of $45,000.
Initially, city council had approved $20,000 maximum for the budget. However, a committee composed of officers and management reviewed multiple consultant proposals and decided Matrix Consulting Group was the best choice, Sellers said.
The police department found additional funding in unpaid wages included in its budget, as the $45,000 had not been budgeted for.
Webster said he was impressed with the consultant group’s qualifications. Matrix Consulting Group has performed similar audits in cities across Texas and the U.S.
Members of the police department suggested conducting an audit when negotiating contracts with city officials, Hernandez said. Audits are common in law enforcement and most agencies, he said.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what the results and the recommendations are,” Hernandez said.
