Round Rock is bracing for a significant boom, and the local police department is preparing to meet the challenge head-on. The Round Rock Police Department's Crime Analysis and Statistics Manager, Rick White, spearheaded a recent "Lunch and Learn" event, focusing on the impending growth spurt expected in the city's future. White, drawing from his 23-year tenure overseeing the department's Planning and Policy Section, shared insights and historical parallels from the 1970s when Round Rock saw its population double.
During the session, held on February 2nd, attendees were presented with a riveting contrast: Despite the profound changes since the 1970s when the police force was stretched thin by a burgeoning population, which jumped to nearly 6,000 people within five years, White detailed how a past management study laid the groundwork for a police force capable of handling such expansions. "I’m not saying that study made those changes happen," said White, "but it did provide a path forward for a city that had no prior experience with the kind of growth we’ve been seeing ever since."
Invited to fuel up on knowledge as well as brown bag lunches during the event, the participants also got to enjoy cookies and water, courtesy of the department. But more than treats were on the table. White, bringing his journalist's background and a master's in public administration from the University of Tennessee, plus a bachelor's in journalism from the University of Oklahoma to the fore, emphasized the role of thorough planning and policy development.
His career, which encompassed roles in agricultural policy and workforce development before settling in Round Rock, also includes a notable stint as a 2021 graduate of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas' Leadership Command College. Addressing the city's learning curve, having been overwhelmed in the past, White and his department are well-positioned to propel the police force into a future as promising as it is daunting with an expected continuation of explosive growth.
