Hutto steps up traffic enforcement __________. ___ __________ ___ ___ __
HUTTO — As the city experiences increased road construction and traffic accidents, officers during a recent threemonth period also stopped more cars and handed out more traffic tickets compared to the same time in 2023.
The citations are part of a strategy to improve traffic safety, Police Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough told City Council at its Nov. 7 meeting. He also provided an overview of recent developments with the force.
According to figures from the city, officers made 4,009 traffic stops during an 11-week period from July 15 to Sept.
30, versus 2,239 last year in that period.
The number of ensuing traffic citations also rose, from 1,149 to 1,820.
“We’re increasing our effort to intervene and mitigate some of those issues by being present, being visible and going out and responding to a variety of traffic concerns,” Yarbrough said. “It shows that we’re moving towards making ourselves responsive to the concerns of this community when it comes to traffic enforcement.”
Across the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, road construction crews are a visible reminder of the millions of dollars being invested to improve transportation issues affecting local drivers and commuters who travel through Hutto, officials said.
The road-condition worries aren’t just about slow traffic and long drive times, but also additional traffic mishaps.
During the 11 weeks cited by the chief, police responded to 134 car crashes, or 10 more than the same period last year — an 8% increase.
“Traffic accidents — I know that’s a problem for y’all, it’s a problem for us, it’s a problem for this community. It is a problem we’re working to address,” the chief said.
The chief’s report to council included updates on other department news, including progress in hiring for new positions approved by the city as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
The department will soon add a crisis-intervention specialist, a victims’ assistance advocate and a crime analyst.
“We have 49 applications for the crime analyst, so there’s a tremendous need for that. We’ve got some really strong interest in coming to Hutto to set up that position, so that we can maximize the efforts, and you’ll see the return on investment for that,” Yarbrough said.
He added that victims’ services have been a fastgrowing need in the community, and the advocate position will bring some welcome support to the department.
“Year to date, our victim services coordinator handled 368 cases in our city. Our crisis-support specialist has handled 258 by herself. So, having this added relief to them is going to be a force multiplier in terms of return on the investment we supply to our community when they need the service,” he said.
The chief reported members of the department received 5,861 training hours during the last fiscal year. Recently, department leaders participated in sessions on dignity in policing and emotional intelligence. Other recent education included an executive leadership program and a traffic-crash reconstruction course.
“There’s a saying that attitude reflects leadership, and what you do at the top will trickle down,” the chief said. “It’s very necessary and important, and it is a sigh of relief when you’ve got highquality and highly trained officers serving your community.”
