The problem
At a May 15 City Council meeting, Rollingwood Chief of Police Kristal Muñoz said the department has seen a consistent number of car break-ins year over year.
“The data shows that at this time last year, there were eight [instances], and this year we've had eight as well. ... So while we haven't had an increase per se, we would like to see that decrease, obviously," Muñoz said at the meeting.
A May 15 report showed the following number of thefts each month so far, all of which involved auto break-ins:
- January: 0
- February: 4
- March: 1
- April: 3
Additionally, Muñoz said she is aware of multiple break-ins in which the perpetrator did not steal anything, so the case was not reported.
The solutions
To alleviate staffing shortages, the department hopes to hire an additional officer to support overnight patrols and traffic stops, Muñoz said.
Other possible solutions the department is looking into include:
- Working with residents that use home security software, such as Ring Doorbells, to share their camera data when needed for investigations
- Alerting the public to lock and remove valuables from their vehicles
- Installing license plate readers inside patrol vehicles
- Installing fixed license plate readers along major thoroughfares
The RPD is looking into using Flock Security System's license plate readers, which allow police to access a nationwide system of license plate data and place alerts on a vehicle if needed, according to the company's website.
Muñoz said the department is looking to add three of Flock's standalone solar cameras along the outskirts of the city, including Edgegrove Drive and Bee Caves Road.
In the past decade, several neighboring police departments have begun using Flock's license plate readers, including Austin, Bee Cave, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Buda and Williamson County.
Last June, Austin signed off on a one-year pilot program with Flock. The approval process, however, was met with data collection concerns.
As RPD continues to research its options, Munoz said data privacy is a top priority for her team.
