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Jason Smalley, Weimar’s new police chief, shared his plans for community-engaged policing, regaining public trust, achieving a full staff and more in conversation with the Citizen, Thursday, April 16.
Smal ley outl ined his top three priorities as new chief: first, public trust and departmental stability; second, staffing; and third, an eventual new department building. Smalley previously served as Bellville’s police chief and has over two decades of law enforcement experience. Smalley’s approach to crime, law and order centers around community engagement.
“If you can’t establish community relations, you’re not going to have community support,” Smalley. “If you don’t have community support, you don’t have a police department.”
Weimar PD has had four acting police chiefs in the past three years before Smalley’s employment. The high turnover, combined with the unexpected resignation of former Mayor Milton Koller in July and, later in November, former City Manager Don after the discovery of criminal charges that were later dismissed, has left the Weimar community unsure and critical of new leadership in the city. Smalley said he will strive for transparency and accountability within the department.
“I believe in high integrity, and I believe that you have to make sure that the people you work for are aware of what’s going on at all times,” Smalley said. “…I think that it’s up to a police chief to ensure that everything in the department is held to a higher standard than normal.”
Smalley encouraged community members to visit and speak with him at his office, calling it an open-door policy. He also visited and met with business owners and organizations within his first few weeks and said he will attend public events.
“I think you need to be engaged with the public and make sure you’re invested in the community, showing up to the events,” Smalley said. “… My biggest goal here is to get to know the people and establish those relationships.”
Smalley said he will apply this mindset to staffing the department and intends to have seven out of the department’s eight positions staffed by the end of the month, depending on the hiring process. When Smalley started, Weimar PD had three other staff members, and he has since employed one more. Smalley said two potentially new employees, who previously worked for him at other agencies, are in the process of being hired.
“Anybody that I bring here is someone that I know that’s going to work well in the community and get along with the people and serve properly,” Smalley said.
Smalley also discussed a major struggle for rural law enforcement: recruitment and retention. Larger, urban agencies offer higher salaries, more benefits and stronger internal structure. Smaller agencies offer a lower call volume, stronger community connections and task variety. To improve recruitment and retention, Smalley said he wants to be invested in his officers and encourage a healthy work-life balance.
“It’s about how you treat your employees, making them feel like they have a stake in the department, letting them have a stake in the department, letting them have a say,” Smalley said. “…My style of policing is when we get ready to make a decision…I bring everybody in and get their perspective.”
As the city grows, Smalley said the department should strive to “stay in front of crime” with adequate staffing, new technology like Flock cameras and more. He said his proudest accomplishment was contributing to the construction of a new Bellville Police Department. Smalley wants the same as a long-term goal for Weimar PD, especially because he isn’t sure how long the current building will serve the department’s needs.
“With the different ways [the Texas Department of Transportation] are going to be moving this direction, it’s going to be harder for us to get out and get to the community faster,” Smalley, referring to the Interstate 10 expansion project. “I’d like to be more centrally located in town or closer to the midtown if we could.”
Smalley concluded with emphasizing his offer for the community to visit with him in open communication. Weimar PD and Smalley’s office is located at 1754 I-10, Weimar, TX 78962.
