1. Officers were working 8-hour shifts with 4-hour on-call schedule: Transitioned officers to 4, 12-hour patrol shifts and every other 4-day weekends OFF.
2. Department had no rank structure: (2) Sgt. Positions were created to oversee patrol operations with (1) officer assigned per Sgt. hereby establishing a organized chain-of-command.
3. There was no dedicated division for follow-up investigations: Created (1) CID Sgt. who is also the evidence technician.
4. Established a new look with new patch, new badge and an environmentally functional uniform.
5. Updated to brand new 9mm handguns, 12 ga. shotguns and M4 rifles through gun-trade program with ProForce.
6. Updated Taser System to current model - Taser 7.
7. Strategically recruited seasoned personnel, that brought 54 years of law enforcement experience to Sonora, Texas.
8. Melissa Fuentes was sent to Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas – Sam Houston University and was certified as the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Sonora Police Department.
9. Rooms divided for organization and development purposes:
* Squad Room
* Patrol Supervisors
* Interview Room
* Chief Administrator (PIO) Records
* Chief of Police
* Evidence Processing Room/Short-Term Hold
* Criminal Investigations/Evidence Tech.
* Long-Term Evidence Vault
* Central Operations & Intake Area
10. Change office hours to be more community friendly:
* Monday – Thursday > 8am – 1pm & 3pm – 6pm (Open during lunch hour and for 1 hour after people get off work)
* Friday > 8am – 4pm.
11. Applied for OPERATION LONESTAR GRANT and awarded $585,627.84 in October 2022.
Applied for OPERATION LONESTAR GRANT and awarded $361,496.12 in October 2023.
Current Assets courtesy of OLS Grants:
* Overtime for Officers working during border crisis operations.
* Fuel, tires and maintenance for all vehicles used during border crisis operations.
* Transitioned (2) older PD units to dedicated OLS/SG only vehicles for Fuel, tires and maintenance; and installed a Mobile License Plate Reader (LPR) to each unit.
* Converted the garage to a functional booking area to safely process detained and/or arrested citizens.
* Upgraded current Report Management System (RMS) for more efficient case management.
* Factory-built evidence lockers for a more efficient streamline of evidence submission.
* (2) Ford (2023) Pickup Trucks
* (1) Ford (2019) Transport Van
* (2) 20' x 40' Storage Containers
* (2) CFMoto All-Terrain Vehicles w/Weather Protection
* (2) CFMoto Razr ATVs
* (2) 25' Flat Bed Hauling Trailers for ATVs
* (3) Light Towers w/Generators
* (2) Closed-circuit TV towers
* (1) Viken Mobile X-Ray
* (3) Rifle Resistant Shields
* (7) Rifle Resistant Tac Vests
* (5) Guardian Angel Light System for Officer Safety
* (8) Motorola hand-held radios
* (7) PeaceMaker MDTs for all units.
* (4) Mobile License Plate Readers for Tahoes
* (1) Installed Overnight "Drop-Off" Lockers for Officers to Secure Evidence.
12. Applied and awarded $455K Community Project funds from Congressman Tony Gonzalez for (4) new vehicles:
* (2) Ford Explorers (2024) for Patrol.
* (1) Dodge Durango (2024) for Admin/Training.
* (1) Chevrolet 2500 Pickup Truck (2024) for Animal Control.
TOTAL MONIES AWARDED TO THE SONORA POLICE DEPARTMENT THROUGH APPLICATION GRANTS,
AT NO COST TO THE CITY OF SONORA TAXPAYER! (October, 2024-25 award pending)
♦ 1.4 Million Dollars in 2 years (October, 2022-23 - October, 2023-24)