Police/Sheriff

4 | Salute Law enforcement leads the way

Police chief, sheriff serve the community

By Samuel Sutton

Standard-Radio Post reporter

In a year where law enforcement agencies have faced scrutiny, Gillespie County Sheriff Buddy Mills said he’s fortunate to see overwhelming support.

“It’s tremendous,” Mills said.

After recent police brutality incidents throughout the nation, a lot of people have voiced their opinions against law enforcement. But in Fredericksburg, that hasn’t been the case.

Residents have left gift baskets and cookies for the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office and Fredericksburg Police Department with notes of support. Mills said he’s also encountered several occasions where people have paid for his and his deputies’ meals at restaurants.

“To have that kind of support and appreciation from everybody that we work for is fantastic and we’re very fortunate,” Mills said.

Fredericksburg Police Chief Steven Wetz was also appreciative of the community support.

He feels like these acts of kindness are derived from the recent negativity voiced against law enforcement.

“Every action has a reaction,” Wetz said. “I think people see the things that are going on and they want us to understand

Fredericksburg Police Chief Steven Wetz, left, and Gillespie County Sheriff Buddy Mills work together to keep communication between the two agencies consistent. — Standard-Radio Post/Samuel Sutton

that they support us.”

Mills said he believes this support comes out of trust between the community and the local law enforcement agencies.

“Everyone who has been here, from the police department, to the sheriff’s department to the game wardens and everybody else, has built the trust and the understanding that while we do have a job to do, these are the same people we see in church, the local grocery stores, the restaurants and the football games,” Mills said.

One reason why the community is so supportive, Wetz said, is because they’re well informed on local law enforcement’s mission.

“We try to put on several programs during the year to help keep the public educated on what we’re trying to do,” Wetz said, speaking about the department’s summer youth program and its annual Citizens Police Academy.

Another way they try to keep the public informed is through social media, where they often post news releases about burglaries, vehicle crashes or other public safety incidents.

Wetz and Mills said communication is key. If someone has a problem with the police department or the sheriff’s office, they are happy to talk through the situation.

“I’ve always said, ‘Hey, call and let me know,’” Mills said. “If something is broken in this office and no one ever tells me, then I can’t fix it.”

Mills recognizes the mountain of stress officers from other agencies must be facing, not only from their communites, but their loved ones, as well.

“When you get home, if by chance you have a spouse or a loved one that is like, ‘Why in the world are you doing this?’ Mills said. “Every officer or volunteer does this job because they want to make a change.”

Wetz agreed with Mills, saying this type of career path “is a calling” for some people.

Funding

Both, Mills and Wetz also provided their thoughts on reallocating funds from law enforcement to areas like mental health or crisis intervention organizations, an idea that has been discussed in cities around the nation.

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This idea concerned Mills. While he understands the importance of these organizations, he said sending a social worker on a family violence call could be dangerous if he or she can’t defend themselves.

Mills added that sheriff’s department deputies and police officers in Gillespie County are experienced in mental health situations.

“A lot of times, people will call us if they have a loved one who isn’t taking their medicine. We’ll show up and try to get them the help they need, like taking them to see their doctor,” Mills said. “We also help with social services, helping abused children get the help they need.”

Wetz believes some reallocation is needed, as some mental health organizations are severely underfunded.

“They don’t have the manpower that they need to be able to the job that they need,” Wetz said. “There are a lot of times that we’re trying to get them involved in things and they don’t have the staffing or money to deal with that problem.”

However, he said, taking money away from law enforcement isn’t the right idea, as they are also underfunded.

“We’re lucky in Fredericksburg to get the funding and the support that we do, but a lot of larger cities don’t get that funding,” Wetz said. “The funding for training in law enforcement is very important because if we don’t have the training that we need before an event happens, then we don’t know how to handle it once we get there.”

Cont. from 4

Working together

The Fredericksburg Police Department and the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office have worked together likely since the county was founded, Mills said.

“By doing that, we can stay in constant communication with each other and we save the taxpayers a tremendous amount of money because we don’t need a separate building for each office,” he explained.

Wetz also expressed the importance of constant communication.

“It’s very important that the guys on the street have the information from each other that they do have,” Wetz said. “Communication and information is the key to dealing with a lot of problems.”