Levelland Council approves police departmentracial-profiling and annual activity reports

The Levelland City Council on Jan. 20 approved the Levelland Police Department2024 racial profiling report and the departments 2024 annual activity report after presentations from Chief OBrien and staff.

The racial profiling report, prepared to meet Texas Commission on Law Enforcement reporting requirements, shows the department completed 2,092 traffic stops in 2024, conducted 92 searches (mostly based on probable cause) and received zero racial-profiling complaints for the year. The annual activity report said the department responded to 13,200 calls for service (a 13.45% decrease from 2023), recorded about 340 arrests, and logged a 25.2% decrease in traffic stops alongside an 8% increase in traffic collisions.

Council members said the reports are important for transparency and public trust. Chief OBrien said the numbers show a continued focus on professional enforcement and community partnerships, and she highlighted operational issues that affect patrol activity.

Chief OBrien noted a concern that fewer traffic stops coincided with an increase in collisions and said the department plans more targeted, proactive traffic enforcement. "I looked at the number of vacancies we had compared to 2023 to see if we really had a decrease or was there just a lack of officer presence," she said, adding she could not yet determine whether vacancies contributed to the drop in stops. The chief said the department currently has three open sworn positions and outlined several hiring actions underway, including one certified officer starting the next day, interviews scheduled, recruits in the academy and ongoing background checks.

During public comment, a resident asked whether federal immigration enforcement (ICE) had been conducting operations in Levelland. Chief OBrien said the department had not been contacted by ICE and is not involved in any such activity locally.

The reports include animal-control data: 862 animals taken in by the departments animal-control unit in 2024; 208 were adopted, 212 were rescued by organizations and 67 were reunited with owners. Crime-category changes in 2024 compared with 2023 included a 1.38% increase in crimes against persons, a 25.36% decrease in crimes against property and a 29.36% decrease in crimes against society.

Councilmember Mackin moved to approve the racial profiling report and later moved to approve the 2024 annual police activity report; both motions carried with voice votes. The chief received public commendation from councilors for her work in her first 60 days on the job.

The councils approvals were procedural: the racial profiling report satisfies the Texas Commission on Law Enforcements reporting obligations, and the annual activity report documents calls, arrests and operational trends for 2024.

Looking ahead, the chief and councilors discussed continuing efforts to place mobile data terminals in patrol vehicles to let officers complete reports in the field, a change the chief said would increase patrol time and responsiveness.

No additional action was taken at the meeting beyond the approvals.