Waco Police Department
Waco Police Department is the official PD of the city of Waco, Texas. The city is located in McLennan County and acts as its seat. The police department here has a duty to serve and protect the 139,000 people who live in Waco, according to the latest estimates.
If you don’t have an emergency, you can contact the Waco PD at (254) 750-7500 or visit the official site of the City of Waco, as the PD doesn’t have a dedicated website at the moment.
Locations & Facilities
3115 Pine Ave
Waco, TX 76708, United States
(254) 750-7500
The Waco Police Department is located in the center of the city, more specifically in Dean Highland. You can find it on the corner of North 32nd Street and Proctor Avenue. To enter the building, you have to go down N 32nd St, behind the building where the parking lot is located, where you’ll also find the main entrance to the building. It’s easy to identify, and you can see most of it on the map above.
History
In the early days of the Waco area, the whole place was known as the “Six shooter junction” as it was infamous for constant gun battles by the town’s very founders.
Some order was brought when the police department was created, and the first town marshal was appointed in 1871. For a while, the whole PD had only four officers and a $600 annual budget.
During the Great Depression and the 1930s, the police department expanded as it was getting much harder to keep order in the growing town.
Waco Police Department on Feb 2, 1939
When WWII began, the Waco PD quickly experienced a shortage of police officers, which got them to hire the first black officer and the first female officer of Waco PD.
Modern History
The department grew slowly in the second half of the 20th century and the 21st. It grew to about 240 officers and 115 civilian employees in the 2010s. The PD is fairly the same today, but with many important departments and units that have become a necessity in the modern age.
The current Police Chief is Sheryl D. Victorian, PHD, a Texan native and law enforcement professional for almost three decades. She was sworn in on March 15, 2021.
Waco Police Department Online Services
Despite the lack of a full website, the police department section of the Waco city website offers several useful online services. Here are some of the more important ones.
Accident Reports Online
You can file an accident report online for $6, the same price you would pay if you were to do it in person. It can take a few days for the report to come online, but you can pay an extra $5 administrative fee for it to become available in 24 hours.
Citizens Police Academy
The Waco Citizens Police Academy was made to give people a working knowledge of how the Waco PD works. You can fill out an online application if you want to enter the academy, or this one if you need it in Spanish. Check this link to learn more about the academy.
Citizens on Patrol
The Citizens on Patrol is a volunteer program that lets people take action in patrolling their own neighborhoods. Everyone can join, you only need to be 18 years or older, and you cannot have a criminal history. It would help if you first learned more about the program though.
Besides this, the Waco Police Department offers several other online services, like filling out forms and reports. You can learn more about them on the Waco city site.
Jobs
If you want to become a police officer at the Waco Police Department or learn about some other open positions they might have, you should first learn more about the requirements. If you’re ready to apply, you can do that online as well.
Social Media & Website
Website
Facebook page
Twitter page
The Waco City Cable Channel or the WCCC.TV has a great video on traffic stops. In it, the Chief of Police and several other police officers explain how traffic stops work and should work in Waco. It’s a short, 6-minute clip that you should definitely watch if you want to learn what you’re supposed to do and what you shouldn’t do when you’re pulled over by a Waco police officer.
These events can easily escalate, as we’ve seen in numerous clips in the past. That’s why it’s good to watch this video and learn how to behave, to make the whole encounter easy and pleasant for both you and the police officer.