Conroe Police Department is made up of 217 members—170 officers and 47 civilians. The department oversees 113,900 residents in 77.5 square miles, Buckholtz said in an interview with Community Impact. Buckholtz also discussed his priorities as chief and the department's growth.
Can you share a little about your career journey and what led you to this position?
I've been a police officer for 30 years and in criminal justice for 34. I worked for the city of Conroe for 21 years, where I was a lieutenant and worked in every division of the department. Before retiring in 2018, I worked as a public integrity investigator at the [Montgomery County] District Attorney's Office. I gained significant experience in criminal investigations there, working for six and a half years. When the opportunity to return came up, I took it. I just finished my first month back. I take training very seriously—this is not a hobby for me. It's my life's work, and I strive to be the best I can be. I have high expectations for the people who work for me, and I expect us to meet the standards expected of us. It's a big responsibility. Faith and family are also really big parts of my life.
What are your top priorities as the new police chief?
I have several. Collaboration between agencies is a primary goal. Specifically, it's about building strong working relationships between law enforcement agencies. There are 24 agencies in this county, and we’re just one of them. By working well with our partners, we can effectively multiply our resources and improve law enforcement across the board. Sheriff [Wesley] Doolittle and I are working closely to merge our departments—something that, to my knowledge, has never been done in this county, certainly not in my 30 years. Also [a priority is] reducing the outstanding warrants in the city. We have people who commit crimes, and once warrants are issued, those arrests remain outstanding. [We’re] focusing on getting those individuals into the criminal justice system and holding them accountable for their actions. Improving our clearance rates on crimes, particularly uniform crime data, is also a focus. Some of these metrics are statistical, while others represent accountability. Increasing our clearance rates is a priority. And then being transparent with the community. ... We serve the citizens here, and being as transparent as possible in all that we do is important.
What’s your vision for the department as the community continues to grow?
My vision is to maintain our strong presence and control over the crime rate, something we’ve done a phenomenal job of so far. The department has some amazing assets and dedicated people, but handling the challenges of population growth is an ongoing task. As the population grows, the workload increases, and so does the ability of clearing cases, especially with suspects coming in from other areas. One of the bigger challenges we face is the outside influence from neighboring counties.
Has the department added personnel or equipment to keep up with the area's growth?
One of our main focuses is ensuring safety, and I'll never say no to safety equipment. The officers in our department are irreplaceable. We’ve recognized the need for additional safety and tactical equipment. A lot of my background is in SWAT and tactical scenarios. While we hope we never need it, we want our officers to be well-equipped and well-trained for those situations. Officers deserve every advantage in high-risk situations, with the expectation that they will go home to their families after every shift. Our responsibility is to provide them with the latest and best equipment to protect them. Keeping up with the population growth and the increase in driving-related crimes, like traffic incidents, is difficult. ... We're also expanding our drone program, which can be used for search and rescue as well as tactical scenarios where we risk equipment rather than personnel, such as searching a building or locating suspects on the run. ... Upgrading our communication equipment is also a primary goal. Another key initiative is improving collaboration with other departments, such as sharing communication systems with the sheriff’s department. We're working to blend our assets in areas like narcotics and the Real-Time Crime Center, which focuses on crime analysis.
What are the biggest crime challenges in this community, and how do you plan to tackle them?
One of our biggest challenges is the proximity of multiple jurisdictions. Criminal activity often moves from neighboring areas into our county and city, and we are responsible for addressing it. Technology plays a critical role in our approach. We use tools like license plate recognition, and others, to identify suspects, track where they're coming from, and link them to the crimes they've committed here. Our goal is to hold them accountable.
How are you approaching taking over the animal shelter into the department, and how will you tackle that?
First and foremost, I’m approaching it with a very positive attitude. I love animals and was a canine officer for seven years, so I’m passionate about this. With an open heart, we’re taking on this challenge because I want the community to be proud of their animal shelter. The citizens have funded it, and it’s our responsibility to run it for them. We’re focused on hiring the right staff, and we’ve made great strides in that over the past few weeks. We’re also working on upgrading the equipment and renovating the facility to make it a place the community can be proud of. It’s important that the shelter provides excellent care for the animals. ... Employees deserve a good workplace, citizens deserve a good place to visit, and the animals deserve the best care we can provide. I’m confident we’re fully capable of meeting it, and I’m optimistic that we’ll exceed expectations.
What message do you have for the community as their new police chief?
They have a servant. I am a servant at heart, and my career has been dedicated to serving others. The majority of my adult life has been spent in law enforcement because I believe I was called to this job and this position. I will give my all to ensure the community can sleep well at night, and that those who choose to commit crimes against the good people of Conroe will either think twice or face consequences that remove them from society.
