Chief Jeff Ringstaff said his goal is to build strong bonds between his police force and the community they serve. Royce Graeter held the role previously, according to a city news release, but he left around two months ago.
“Chief Ringstaff is an experienced and proven leader that will be able to take the department to a new level of service and professionalism, while protecting and serving the Liberty Hill community,” City Manager Paul Brandenburg said in the release. “We are honored that he will be leading the department.”
Career history
Ringstaff said he started with the Liberty Hill Police Department as an unpaid reserve officer in 2006, months after the department itself had formed. He was hired as a full-time patrol officer the next year. Around 2012, he was promoted to sergeant and became second-in-command to the chief at the time.
In 2016, positions were added, and Ringstaff was promoted to lieutenant—still second-in-command to the chief but now with more positions below him.
“I’ve led the department a couple times—officially and unofficially,” he said.
Most recently, he was interim chief for nearly two months before being named chief.
The plan
Ringstaff said proactive policing, where officers are present and building relationships in the community, is important for effective policing.
“If the public’s comfortable talking to the officers, they’re going to give a lot more information about things that we need to know about to help protect the community,” he said.
Beyond the obvious crime-fighting aspect of the job, Ringstaff said providing resources to the community and being available for people who need things, even if it’s not necessarily related to policing, is important to the department.
“We want that comfortable relationship where they’re not afraid to ask,” he said.
Zooming in
Keeping up with technology is another priority for the department, he said, discussing the department’s drone program and upcoming automatic license plate reader, or ALPR, program.
He said officers in the field can use drones to augment operations—mainly using them to assist with looking for people who may be missing or running from the department.
As for the ALPRs, he said while the concept—cameras posted throughout town and on some police vehicles that record any license plates in their view—can be scary, the department really will only use them to be notified of stolen or wanted vehicles.
Ringstaff noted the cameras do not identify drivers to officers, nor do they look for suspended licenses or other driver-specific details. He emphasized the cameras are geared toward identifying stolen vehicles.
