BLUE MATTERS
BEYOND THE
BADGE Having lived in Liberty Hill for 23 years and seen his three children graduate from local schools, Chris Rybarski was excited about the chance to lead the school district’s police department after hearing about its open police chief position. “We’ve lived in this community a long time, and there are still teachers at the school now who taught my kids. There are also teachers and employees who were friends with my middle daughter who are now teachers. When I left Austin PD, I thought ‘what a cool opportunity to give back to a school system that was integral in my kids’ lives.’ ”
Starting as a patrol officer 25 years ago, Chief Rybarski has enjoyed a law enforcement career that has taken him from Austin neighborhood patrol to Austin PD’s Bomb Squad, SWAT Team, and Dive Team, to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and Texas Attorney General Office. During his time with the APD Bomb Squad, he coordinated visits from President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush as well as presidential candidates during the Obama/Clinton campaign. As a member of the FBI’s JTTF, he investigated domestic and international terrorism, was a lead investigator during the Austin Bomber investigation, and investigated school shooting threats in Central Texas. Before becoming Liberty Hill ISD’s police chief, he worked in the Texas Attorney General Office’s Child Exploitation Unit and served as Director of Security at Hyde Park Private School. “I feel these assignments, some of which were high-stress jobs, have made me a well-rounded law enforcement officer.”
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D E C E M B E R 2023 LIBER T Y HILL D IGES T
