Weekly Crime Report

From the Desk of Chief Ray Schultz,

It is hard to believe but 2022 will soon be behind us. All of us here at the MVPD found 2022 to be a very interesting year with many unusual challenges and complexities. We had to deal with the third (and hopefully last) year of wacky COVID protocols. In late January and early February, we had an outbreak of COVID within our Dispatch Center. Over half of our staff were out ill, requiring everyone else to be extra careful and not to become infected. We asked our employees to self-isolate, adjust their schedules to provide coverage and to work extra and extended shifts. We asked officers to help cover dispatch and our phone lines, and they did.  That was followed by some unexpected vacancies within the department that required the hiring and training of new personnel. This in turn placed extra stress on our dispatch training staff and our police officer field training officers. Our personnel manager retired and relocated to Colorado, so we also had to hire a new personnel manager (who wears multiple hats). The perfect person was identified, and Ms. Priscilla Gonzalez stepped in to fill that critical vacancy and found herself on-boarding other new employees on her first day.

We then had to work with the Police Commission, the 3 city councils, and executive teams in developing a 2023 budget during the beginning of the 2022 economic uncertainties, rapid inflation, and crazy CPI index. Our Finance Manager Ms. Victoria Bowman was up to the task and worked through many revisions of budget proposals that included a significant capital project, being the replacement of our outdated radio system and, a communications center remodel.  Executive staff and the Police Commission Finance committee worked though that task while at the same time putting together a budget that would allow the MVPD to compete on a national level in attracting qualified applicants for both our sworn and civilian positions.   They put together such a solid budget that we immediately began seeing results with applications to the MVPD resulting in a waiting list of potential new officers.   

Then this summer, gas prices reached extremes requiring the department to conserve while still providing quality patrol in the community. Our staff once again stepped-up identifying ways to save monies in other areas to maintain strong patrol operations. During midsummer, a supply and demand issue resulted in a shortage of police vehicle parts. Again, it was our staff who found the needed parts (at one-quarter of the cost) that kept our fleet going.

A new RFP for Information Technology (I.T.) services was issued, reviewed and a new I.T vendor was selected. The new vendor took over 3 months ago and has already replaced and installed new servers, modernized our I.T. server room and removed 3 generations of unused and outdated hardware, improving our efficiency and effectiveness. They are now working in preparation of the 2023 Capitol project of installing the new radio system.  

While all of that was occurring, our team continued to remain highly visible and proactive in the community. Besides our enforcement activity we participated in multiple community events throughout the year, finishing up last week with the Twinkle Light Parade. A quick preliminary review of our crime statistics shows in 2022, crimes against persons declined 42%, crimes against property declined 33%, and arrests increased by 50%. These numbers did not occur by themselves, they only occurred because everyone worked together, our community (you) and our staff. We want to thank you for your continued support but more importantly for being a part of our team. You help protect our community by being vigilant in protecting your homes and families, but you also let us know what is going on in the community. We have always encouraged our residents to call in suspicious persons, vehicles or circumstances and you have done that once again in 2022.  This past year we have investigated 1175 of these types of calls. In addition to you being our eyes and ears, you invested in technology and added additional ALPR cameras to our arsenal of tools. In 2022, we were alerted to stolen, wanted, suspicious vehicles and/or persons by our ALPR system 811 times. Together we make a great crime fighting team and have been able to keep the Villages as one of the safest communities in the State of Texas. Thank You.

We are already prepared and ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead in 2023. We will continue to hold the bad actors accountable, we continue to make arrests, we will continue to investigate cases and follow the leads, but even more important we will continue to serve you and your families. Have a happy and prosperous New Year.

Chief Ray Schultz rschultz@mvpdtx.org

P.S. Thank you once again for all the food, treats, tickets, and gift cards sent over to the department this week and throughout the year. Our staff truly appreciates your generosity.

R.A.D. 2023 Evening Class Sign-up. Our annual evening RAD Class will be held January 17-19, 2023, from 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm.  These classes are designed for residents who can not make it to a daytime class. Please reserve your place in class by contacting Officer Michelle Owens at mowens@mvpdtx.org for additional information.  

Weekly Crime Report

Hunters Creek

12/23/22 at 1245 Hours. 10700 Block of Beinhorn. Theft of Packages.  The victim reported that a family member was alerted when their dogs started barking. A check of the front porch found a female on the porch removing packages and leaving in a VW SUV or station wagon type vehicle. A check of a nearby ALPR camera located the vehicle and the license plate. The gray Volkswagen Taos returns to a Houston address. Information about the theft was collected and provided to detectives for their follow up investigation. The suspect vehicle was entered into the ALPR Hotlist database.

12/29/22 at 1300 Hours. 700 Block of Creekside. Fraud. The victim was contacted by his bank in reference to a check that they suspected had been washed.  The victim reviewed his checking account and confirmed the payee had been changed to an individual that he did not know. The victim had written the original check and had mailed it at the Post Office at Town and County Post Office. Information about the fraud was collected and provided to detectives who have taken over the investigation.

Bunker Hill

12/24/22 at 1545 Hours. 200 Block of Breeds Hill. Burglary of a Vehicle. The victim reported that sometime during the night his unlocked vehicle was entered, and 2 handguns were taken. A check of area video surveillance footage located a dark colored SUV drive down the victim’s street at 0405 hours and park nearby before turning off the headlights. The video does not show a clear image of the suspect vehicle. Information about the theft was obtained and provided to detectives who have taken over the investigation.