While national narratives about public safety, defunding police, and general unrest continue to concern many, our city remains peaceful under the watchful eyes of our Georgetown Police Department.
Chief Wayne Nero says, while increases do happen over time, we can credit strong community engagement, department accreditation, and our proximity among many safe cities within Williamson County for our sense of security.
THE DATA
The Chief shared Safe City data that show Georgetown consistently ranked #2 or #3 Safest City in Texas over the past decade. “Our 2020 ranking bumped to #6 due to many new cities, added by the census, in our 50-100,000 population group. Those growing small towns tend to be quieter overall; it’s relative. Our part 1 crime* went up in 2020, but we believe this trend will be apparent for most agencies due to the uptick in theft and other crimes during COVID lockdowns. Official 2020 data should be out by the end of this Summer.
“What’s of interest to me as the Chief, is to be competitive with those other cities reaching the 50,000 mark.”
He adds that the population of Georgetown will reach the 100,000-plus group in the next few years, which will measure our data against the largest cities in the state and elevate our rank for some time.
SAFE IN CTX
Notable among the things in our favor, he says, are the number of other Williamson County cities on the Safest Cities list. “Our city would be an anomaly if we were near another metropolitan area, but our county has always had a tough-on-crime attitude. Add to that the small-town feel that creates a sense of community, which results in massive citizen engagement. One measurable example of that is our volunteer support. Our department volunteers provide us 30,000 hours of direct service per year, from switchboard operations to vehicle maintenance.”
The Chief is circumspect that, with growth, comes new challenges, including our recent increase in those experiencing homelessness or demonstrations on the square. He emphasizes that the department makes every effort to be proactive—where the law allows—and bridge emerging gaps by engaging the right community stakeholders relative to the issues. He explains, “By leveraging situational awareness, police presence, and engagement with our community we have been relatively successful in keeping Georgetown safe through our growth over the last decade.”
LOVE FOR L.E.O.s
The Chief also praises the department’s hard work in the Texas Police Chief’s Best Practice program. Georgetown PD is only the 154th law enforcement agency to be recognized by this highly respected accreditation program. He adds, “Our law enforcement officers average 150-175 contact hours of training annually—nearly eight times the state mandate of 40 hours every two years.”
With regard to keeping the community safe, Chief Nero emphasizes “It is everyone’s responsibility to keep the city safe; i.e., if you see something, say something.”
The bottom line is that 2020 and 2021 have been hard on police officers too but they love Georgetown as much as its citizens. The Chief’s best advice is to show appreciation—let them know we do not take their hard work and commitment for granted.
