During a presentation on vehicle theft and burglary incidents in the past year, the Rollingwood Police Department addressed ongoing difficulties caused by low recruitment numbers.
At a Rollingwood City Council meeting held Feb. 19, Police Chief Kristal Muñoz discussed recent calls the department has received regarding car burglaries and theft incidents. Information was also shared about the department’s funding and need for new recruits.
The overview
Between February 2024 and February 2025, a total of 25 theft and burglary reports were handled by Rollingwood Police Department, according to monthly city council police reports. Of these, 12 occurred within the last three months.
In the past year, a total of four cars have been stolen in Rollingwood, Massingill said. All of those vehicles were recovered, and all four of these vehicles were stolen while being unlocked, with the keys left in them. As for burglaries, 12 of these incidents showed no sign of forced entry, meaning these vehicles were also likely unlocked prior to burglary.
The Rollingwood Police Department investigated each of these crime incidents, and none were committed without an officer on duty, Massingill said.
Looking at Rollingwood crime data from 2023 and comparing it to 2024, there has been a slight reduction in thefts overall, Chief Muñoz said. In 2023, 30 thefts were reported, and in 2024, the number dropped slightly to 25.
What else?
Police department funding and recruiting was also discussed at the meeting, with Massingill noting that the majority of city funding for the police department goes to salaries, personnel and labor costs.
In Rollingwood’s approved budget report for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, as of October 31st, departmental expenditures for policing were calculated at a total of $1,595,480 with $1,333,730 set aside for personnel and the remaining amount set aside for supplies and operations, contractual services including radio and dispatch, capital outlay, including vehicle outfitting and video cameras, and miscellaneous expenses.
Salaries for the Rollingwood Police Department are considered competitive, Chief Muñoz said. However, the department has struggled with recruitment in recent years.
“Unfortunately, it’s nationwide,” Chief Muñoz said, referring to the shortage of new recruits. “We are looking for certified officers but we actually are going in front of some cadets next week at the academies to also attempt to recruit from there.”
The city has contributed additional funds to assist the department in hiring these new cadets, Massingill said. In addition to this, the department is also looking into potentially seeking additional help from the constable’s offices of Austin Precincts 2 and 3 to supplement patrols. The department is currently evaluating the cost of that additional help, Chief Muñoz said.
Nationally, law enforcement has seen an increase of 50% in resignations, 20% in retirements, and an overall 5% drop in the number of sworn offices from 2019 to 2022, according to the Police Executive Research Forum, which some officials believe has led to lower recruitment numbers, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
The bottom line
Council also discussed potentially adding signing bonuses for new officers and providing officers with higher pay for night shifts.
“I’m very open to a dialogue around signing bonuses, I’m open to a dialogue around if we need to do a pay differential at night—I’ll take the chief’s lead on that,” Massingill said. “I’m open to all those dialogues if it helps in the recruiting process. It may or may not make that recruitment easier because there is a real shortage.”
A full list of vacancies for peace officers statewide can be found on the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement’s website. Currently, one open position is listed for Rollingwood.
