City of Georgetown Texas > Georgetown Police Department > Articles by: theerin

Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on September 26

To help protect the water supply and reduce household risks, bring unwanted medications to Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, September 26 in Georgetown. Drugs that are expired or no longer needed will be collected—no questions asked—from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sun City Legacy Hills Park Pavilion, 200 Del Webb Boulevard and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, 508 S. Rock Street.

One goal of the free collection of unwanted medications is to keep them from being poured down the drain or flushed down a toilet. Pharmaceuticals that are put in our wastewater system can affect water quality in our creeks, rivers, and lakes.

Removing unwanted medications from your home also reduces risks of accidental overdose by children or visitors in your home.

The Take-Back Day is part of a nation-wide effort of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to reduce the risk of unwanted medications in our homes. Local partners in the Drug Take-Back Day include the Georgetown Police Department, LifeSteps Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, Williamson County EMS, and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

Medications that are dropped off should be in their original containers, if possible. Drugs brought to the drop-off may include expired or unwanted prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, drugs prescribed for pets, medicines from deceased family members, or unknown tablets and capsules. Items not accepted include sharps (needles and syringes), mercury thermometers, IV bags, personal care products, and medical equipment.

The collection is for individual households. Medications cannot be accepted from businesses such as nursing homes, doctor’s offices, or other institutions or businesses.

For more information, call LifeSteps at (512) 246-9880 or visit the DEA website at www.dea.gov.

Watch School Zones as Classes Start on Aug. 24

The first day of classes for schools in the Georgetown school district is Monday, August 24. The Georgetown Police Department reminds drivers to slow down in school zones. As students go back to school, police will be monitoring school zones throughout the city.

Look for the school zones at most of these Georgetown ISD schools:

  • Carver Elementary, 4901 Scenic Lake Drive
  • Cooper Elementary, 1921 NE Inner Loop
  • Ford Elementary, 210 Woodlake Drive
  • Frost Elementary, 711 Lakeway Drive
  • McCoy Elementary, 401 Bellaire Drive
  • Mitchell Elementary, 1601 Rockride Lane
  • Pickett Elementary, 1100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard
  • Purl Elementary, 1700 Laurel Street
  • Village Elementary, 400 Village Commons
  • Williams Elementary, 507 E. University Avenue
  • Benold Middle School, 3407 Northwest Boulevard
  • Forbes Middle School, 1911 NE Inner Loop
  • Tippit Middle School, 1601 Leander Road
  • East View High School, 4490 E. University Avenue
  • Georgetown High School, 2211 N. Austin Avenue
  • Georgetown Alternative Program, 502 Patriot Way
  • Richarte High School, 2295 N. Austin Avenue
  • Williamson County Academy/Lott Juvenile Detention Center, 200 Wilco Way

School zone speed limits are in effect during the posted hours or when yellow lights are flashing. The fine for speeding in a school zone is $10 per mile over the limit, plus state court costs. This would mean a $229 fine for driving 30 mph in a 20 mph zone, for example.

State law prohibits the use of a wireless communication device in a school zone during the posted hours or when yellow lights are flashing.

Public Safety Operations and Training Center Grand Opening

The City of Georgetown will hold a grand opening for the new Public Safety Operations and Training Center on Friday, July 10. A ceremony and ribbon cutting event with Mayor Dale Ross starts at 2:30 p.m. A come-and-go open house will be held the next day on Saturday, July 11 from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Both events are open to the public.

The Georgetown Police Department and Georgetown Fire Department Administration moved into the new center on February 2. The facility is located at 3500 DB Wood Road next to Fire Station 5.

The 76,000 square-foot main building of the new center houses all Police Department employees as well as Fire Department administration, fire and life safety, plans review, and Code Enforcement employees. The center also houses the City’s emergency operations center, 911 emergency communications center, CSI lab, secure interview suite, volunteer area, victim services area, fitness area, locker rooms, defensive tactics training room, and large training room.

Training elements of the facility include a 17,000 square-foot tactical building with classrooms and reality-based training bay, as well as a slow-speed driving track.

Energy-efficiency features of the center include outdoor LED lights, energy-efficient indoor lights fixtures, and room occupancy sensors, as well as windows, skylights, and light wells that allow natural lighting to reach both floors.

Landscaping includes native and drought tolerant plants to reduce water use. Vegetated drainage areas allow storm water to be absorbed rather than running off the site.

The architectural design team for the center included Architects Design Group and KAH Architecture. Bartlett Cocke General Contractors was the construction contractor for the $29.3 million facility.

Georgetown voters approved funding for the facility in a bond election in 2011.

The new center replaces the former main police department building at 809 Martin Luther King, Jr. Street. That 1910 historic Light and Waterworks building will be repurposed as one component of the Downtown West campus, currently under development.

Map to the Public Safety Operations and Training Center:

Public Safety Center is SafeTrade Site

The Georgetown Police Department announces it has joined SafeTrade, a national initiative for safely completing online transactions when meeting in person.

SafeTrade is a simple program for police departments to encourage transactions at their facilities and for users to insist on “SafeTrade” by conducting their transactions only at a local police or sheriff’s office.

The decision to offer our facility as a SafeTrade location was a no-brainer, says Capt. We are in the business of protecting and this was an easy way for us to promote a safer transaction between buyers and sellers of merchandise.

The SafeTrade logo can be used by sellers (without charge) on any ads posted to promote safety and security, and by police departments to indicate they are hosting their location for SafeTrade transactions.

In the past few months, a growing number of police departments in the U.S. have offered to host online transactions, most of them referring to sites such as Craigslist as the reason. Participating police departments can now post banners or use logos referring to their facilities as SafeTrade Stations. Additional information is available at www.safetradestations.com.

The lobby of the Public Safety Operations and Training Center is available during business hours as a SafeTrade location. The parking lot is available 24-hours.  Georgetown Police Department encourages traders to conduct business during daylight hours. All sales are civil matters and officers should not be called on to intervene.

The Georgetown Police Department is located at the Public Safety Operations and Training Center, 3500 D.B. Wood Road, Georgetown, TX, 78628.

Alarm Credits

(minimum required for additional 15% reduction) (Article 5.33A, Section 6 (a) (2), Texas Insurance Code) A person’s residence qualifies for a 15% discount on homeowners insurance premiums if the property is equipped with an electronic burglar alarm that meets the following specifications:

  • All exterior structure openings are contacted. (This includes all exterior windows and doors).
  • The alarm system includes an interior and exterior siren.
  • All equipment is U.L. approved and is monitored by a U.L. approved central station; and sales, service installation, and monitoring of the system are done in compliance with the Private Investigation and Private Security Agencies Act (article 4413 (22bb), Vernon’s Texas Civil Statues). The requirements in number three (3) must be in writing from the Alarm Company.

For more information contact Sergeant Loyd Pearson at (512) 930-2594 or lpearson@georgetown.org

Property Security

(minimum required for 5% reduction) (Article 5.33A, Section 6 (a) (1), Texas Insurance Code) A person’s property qualifies for a Homeowner Insurance Premium Reduction of 5% if the property meets the following specifications:

  • Exterior doors must be solid core doors that are 1 3/8 inches thick and must be secured by deadbolt locks; a deadbolt lock must lock with a minimum bolt throw of 1 inch that penetrates a metal strike plate firmly secured to the door frame. If a door secured with a deadbolt has breakable glass within forty (40) inches of the lock, the deadbolt lock must be a double cylinder (double keyed) deadbolt. (UNLESS PROHIBITED BY LIFE SAFETY CODES).
  • Metal doors must be secured by deadbolt locks;
  • Double doors must be solid core doors that are 1 3/8 inches thick and must be secured by deadbolts; the inactive door must be secured by header and threshold bolts that penetrate metal strike plates, and in the case of glass located within 40 inches of header and threshold bolts, the bolts must be flush-mounted in the edge of the door;
  • Sliding glass doors must be secured by secondary locking devices to prevent lifting or sliding;
  • Garage doors must be equipped with key operated devices; and
  • Windows must be secured by auxiliary locking devices. An auxiliary locking device required by this section must include either screws, wooden dowels, pinning devices, or key operated locks. In areas where life safety codes permit, metal bars or grating, if mounted to prevent easy removal, may be substituted for auxiliary locking devices. Jalousie or louvered windows do not meet specifications of this section unless they have metal grating mounted a provided for above.

For more information contact Sergeant Loyd Pearson at (512) 930-2594 or lpearson@georgetown.org.

Picketing

1. Picketing shall be conducted in conformance with all traffic laws, city ordinances, state and federal statutes, and shall not in any manner obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

No person shall conduct or participate in Picketing that breaches the public peace or trespasses upon private property. Any individual or group of individuals engaging in Picketing, or planning to engage in Picketing, is encouraged to notify the City of Georgetown Police Department of the time and place of the planned Picketing activities.

2. If the Picketing is anticipated to result in the obstruction or closing of a public street, public sidewalk, public right-of-way or other public property, the organizer of the Picketing must provide        written notice to the Georgetown Police Department not less than twenty four (24) hours before the start of the Picketing.

Alarms – Residential and Commercial

The City of Georgetown and the Georgetown Police Department have established a False Alarm Reduction Unit and a City Ordinance (6.60) that requires all members of the Georgetown community that have alarms, either residential or commercial, to register the alarm with the Police Department. The establishment of the Unit and the ordinance is in an effort to begin to reduce the number of false alarm calls for service that the Police Department responds to on an annual basis.

The ordinance requires homeowner and business owners to complete an application that will provide contact information, alarm company information and any special instructions or considerations.  The application fee is $25 for residential and $35 for commercial, annually. Additionally, alarm companies will be required to register with the City as well.

Applications may be picked up at the following City offices:  City Hall, Municipal Court, Georgetown Municipal Complex, Fire Stations, and the Police Department. Additionally, the form may be downloaded from the Police Department webpage through the City’s website.

All payments and applications should be sent to the following address:

Georgetown Police Department
Attn: Alarm Unit
3500  D. B. Wood Road
Georgetown, TX 78628

Please make checks payable to: City of Georgetown

To download a residential or commercial alarm permit application, click here.

Honor Guard

The Georgetown Police Department Honor Guard was created in 2002. The Honor Guard represents the department at funerals for fallen officers and dignitaries, memorials, and other special events.

Since its inception, the Honor Guard has participated in the first anniversary memorial service commemorating the September 11th tragedy. This event was held in Georgetown and was the first event to be staffed by the Honor Guard. The Honor Guard currently consists of seven sworn personnel.

Georgetown police department explorer post #152

What is Law Enforcement Exploring?

Exploring is the young adult career education program of Learning for Life for both young men and women who are age 14 through 20 years of age. Law Enforcement Exploring is a youth development program centered on law enforcement careers. Law Enforcement Explorers might choose to take part in crime prevention activities, community policing, traffic control, fingerprinting, ride-alongs, patrol procedures, and connecting activities with high schools, court systems, and national, state, and local academies. The bottom line is that Law Enforcement Exploring is an action-oriented, hands-on career discovery program. Exploring is a division of the Boy Scouts of America.

Qualifications

    • Be 14 to 20 years of age.
    • Have a good moral character.
    • Remain in school while in the program or until graduation.
    • Maintain a “C” average or higher.
    • Not have a serious police record. (No Class B Misdemeanor charges or higher.)
    • No Class C Misdemeanors on their record involving drugs/alcohol or crimes against persons (i.e. assault)
    • Not more than three traffic citations within a 12-month period.
    • Be able to attend Explorer meetings.
    • Be willing to volunteer your time to attend Explorer functions.
    • Be willing to commit to the Explorer Code and exemplify the professional image of the GPD.
    • Attend two observation meetings prior to the applying.

Both male and female young adults who meet these requirements are encouraged to apply.

Application Process

    • Each applicant is required to complete the following documents in full:
    • Post application (includes consent for background investigation)
    • Learning for Life Application
    • Hepatitis B Vaccine Declination (if vaccination is declined)
    • Medical Release Form
    • Liability Release Form
    • Photograph Release Form
    • Statement of Understanding
    • Complete and pass an interview
    • Pass a background investigation
    • Explorer staff and advisors decide on acceptance or non-acceptance

Upon acceptance into the Explorer program, new members are placed on probation for a period not to exceed six months. During this period, the Explorer must actively participate in all Explorer meetings and activities. Failing to participate will result in their removal from the program. They must also maintain good grades in school, have no involvement in criminal activity, and maintain a good driving record to remain in the program.

The Police Explorers are representatives of the Police Department and must conduct their private and professional lives in such a manner as to avoid adverse reflection on the program and/or the Police Department.

Meetings are held at the Public Safety and Operations Training Center at 3500 D.B. Wood Road and typically last two hours.

If you have any questions, contact Officer Trey Walters by calling 737-215-5009 or emailing trey.walters@georgetown.org

Once accepted into the Explorer Program the Learning for Life begins.

Education

Instruction is provided by sworn law enforcement personnel, guest speakers, and senior Explorers at weekly meetings. Through prior training and experience, they teach Explorers techniques and skills in law enforcement disciplines ranging from crime prevention to crime scene investigation. In addition, from these weekly meetings and community service events, Explorers gain valuable interpersonal and life skills.

Law Enforcement Explorers receive training that is similar to what sworn law enforcement personnel receive. These skills are then put to the test in a variety of scenarios at state and national competitions. Some topics the Explorers are trained in include:

    • History of Law Enforcement
    • Building Searches
    • Traffic Stops
    • Traffic Accident Investigation
    • Procedures for Investigations
    • Crime Scene Investigation
    • Evidence Processing
    • Fingerprinting
    • Firearms
    • Arrest and Search Techniques
    • Patrol Techniques
    • Criminal/Traffic Law
    • Report Writing
    • Traffic/Crowd Control
    • Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
    • Radio Procedures
    • Emergency First Aid