Terrell Police Department

Jody Lay – Chief of Police

• Our Mission
• Patrol Division
• Directory
• Criminal Investigation Division
• Records and Communication Division
• Neighborhood Officer Program
• Additional Services
  • Enhanced 911
  • Vacation Watch
  • Neighborhood Watch
  • Police Chaplains Program
  • Police Ride Along Program
  • Police Reserve Officer Program
  • Citizens Police Academy
  • 9-1-1 Cell Phone Bank
• Crime Alert
• Animal Shelter
• Forms and Applications
  • Special events application form (word format)
  • Solicitor’s permit
  • Solicitors Permit Registration (Non Profit)
  • Alarm Permit Application
  • Alarm Permit Application & letter of fees for false alarms
  • Vacation watch form (pdf format)
  • Neighborhood watch application (pdf format)
  • Citizens police academy application (pdf format)
    

Our Mission

"TO BUILD A BETTER COMMUNITY"

Our Philosophy

Community Policing is a philosophy and organizational strategy that promotes a partnership with citizens to work together to identify and solve community crime and disorder problems with the goal of improving overall quality of life in the community. Community policing rests on the belief that only by working together will citizens and the police be able to improve the quality of life in the community. It challenges all police service personnel to find ways to develop new proactive initiatives aimed at solving community problems.

Statement of Quality

The Terrell Police Department is an organization comprised of people of integrity, committed to providing total quality police service to its community in an honest, fair, professional and courteous manner.

We will forge a partnership with the community based on mutual trust, confidence, commitment and communication to maintain and improve the quality of life and promote the safety and welfare of our citizens.

The members of this agency pledge collectively and individually to constantly grow, develop and engage in reassessment to meet the current and future problems and challenges of our community.

The Terrell Police Department exists to meet the City's objectives for the safety and well-being of its residents. The mission is accomplished through people and knowledge, our most important resources. In the continuing pursuit of total quality, we are guided by the following core values:

Core Values

In service to our community, we embrace, and with moral courage, advocate these non-negotiable values upon which our policing is based.

• Respect: We value human life, safety and dignity, and commit to treating all human beings with the utmost respect, compassion and concern.
  
• Integrity: We value ethical conduct, public trust and commit ourselves to the uncompromising drive for personal and professional excellence.
  
• The Law & Constitution: We value our reverence for safeguarding constitutional guarantees, preserving peace, and protecting life, and commit to maintaining a current knowledge and understanding of the law.
  
• Diversity: We value diversity, and commit to nurturing a welcoming environment of inclusion, in which we recognize the unique skills, knowledge, abilities and backgrounds of all people as our strength.
  
• Collaboration: We value teamwork and commit to cooperative goal achievement through active collaboration and partnerships with the community and with one another.
  
• Continuous Innovation: We value continuous improvement of our service to the community, and commit ourselves to the pursuit of creative thought and innovation, realizing that well-intentioned failure is a valuable learning tool.
  
• Empowerment: We value the quality of our employees and their ability to do the right thing. We encourage our employees to make decisions based on our vision, mission, values and policies, at the level closest to the problem. We ask our employees:
  • Is it the right thing for the community?
  • Is it the right thing for the Terrell Police Department?
  • Is it legal, ethical and moral?
  • Is it something you are willing to be accountable for?
  • Is it consistent with the agency’s vision, mission, values and policies?
  • If the answer is YES to all these questions - We tell our employees to “Just Do It!”
    
• Problem Solving: We value the efforts expended in partnering with citizens to identify and impact the true causes of problems in order to solve those problems for the betterment of ourselves, the agency, and the community.

Want to be a Part of our Team?

We are seeking people dedicated to serving the citizens of Terrell to join our team. If you are a person of integrity, dedicated to service, and want a rewarding career of helping others we may have a place for you. If you would like information on how to join our team, contact the City of Terrell Personnel Department at 972-551-6608 or click here.

For posted job vacancies, the department will review all referred applications and select the applicants to be interviewed and processed. The interviewing department will call candidates to schedule interviews and select the applicant(s) to be considered and hired. Because of the volume of applications and the time required to review and process each application, you will not be called or contacted unless you are selected for an interview or otherwise continue in the hiring process.

Patrol Division

22 Patrol Officers respond to calls, conduct preventative patrol of city streets, enforce traffic laws, and file initial crime reports.

Criminal Investigation Division

1 sergeant and 4 detectives/investigators provide follow-up in cases involving all types of crime.

Records and Communication Division

Copies of accident reports are available during regular office hours. You may also request an accident report by mail. Include a check or money order for $6.00 and mail to: Terrell Police Department, P.O. Box 310, Terrell, Texas 75160. Please include a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Call 972-551-6622 for more information.

For a copy of an offense report or other open records request, call 972-551-6622 Ext.264. You may also request a record in person during regular office hours. You may be asked to show a photo ID. To request a record by mail, include a check or money order for $5 for each report and a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Mail your request to Terrell Police Department, P.O. Box 310, Terrell, TX 75160.

To retrieve or view recovered lost or stolen property, bring proof of ownership, a photo ID, and the case number to the Police station at 201 E. Nash between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Additional Services

Enhanced 911: 
When you call 911 in an emergency, your phone number and address appear on the dispatcher's computer screen within a few seconds. Even if you are unable to speak due to illness or panic, emergency personnel will be able to respond to your call.

This service is available from any land-line telephone. Currently cellular/mobile phones will display only the phone number, cellular provider and location of the cellular service tower transmitting the call.”

Vacation Watch: 
Call 972-551-6622 at any time (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) to schedule periodic checks when you plan to be away from home for vacation or other extended period.

Please submit your vacation watch request at least 7 days in advance to ensure we have time to process the request prior to the start of your absence.

Vacation watch form (pdf format)

Neighborhood Watch
The Terrell Police Department assists residents in organizing and establishing neighborhood watches in their neighborhoods. Neighborhood watches help residents take ownership of their communities and deter crime in our city. Becoming involved in the program is simple. Every Terrell resident is encouraged to participate. Contact your Neighborhood Officer or the Terrell Police Department Community Police Coordinator Nate Hauger. Officer Hauger can be reached at 972-563-9064 or by email at nhauger@cityofterrell.org. More information.

Police Chaplains Program: 
Terrell PD provides on-call chaplains to assist the department with counseling and crisis intervention. Chaplains give invocations at ceremonies, deliver death notifications, participate in hostage negotiations, and counsel department members and their families, and crime victims. Call 972-551-6622 for more information on the Chaplains Program.

Police Ride Along Program: 
Qualified citizens may ride along with police officers on patrol two times a year. Anyone interested in the Ride Along Program can obtain an application from the Police Service during regular office hours. The applicant's signature on the form must be notarized (we can do this for you at the office). After a routine background check, which usually takes 2-4 weeks, applicants are contacted to set up their Ride Along schedule.

Police Reserve Officer Program: 
Volunteer police officers support the department by donating their time to assist in all areas of police services work. Volunteers are required to work 16 hours per month with our department. The individual must be licensed by the State of Texas as a Police Officer to be a member of our program. Applicants must be at least 21, in good physical condition, and willing to undergo screening, which includes a polygraph test, psychological evaluation, and background investigation.

Citizens Police Academy
The Terrell Police Department conducts a Citizen Police Academy several times each year. The academy provides the public with a general overview of police operations. Citizens interested in attending should pick up an application at the Police Services, 201 E. Nash St., Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Citizens police academy application (pdf format)

Information on the Texas Concealed Handgun Licensing Classes.

9-1-1 Cell Phone Bank

Donate Your Old Cellular Phones to At-Risk Victims

The Terrell Police Department collects cellular phones that can be provided to senior citizens and victims of domestic violence for use in emergencies. There are no charges to the person donating the phones, as they are deactivated. These phones provide mobile access to 9-1-1 in cases of emergency to these seniors and domestic violence victims who may not otherwise have the ability to contact police or other emergency services when needed. If you are interested in donating a cellular phone, you can bring it to the Terrell Police Department at 201 E. Nash Street, email program coordinator Rhitt Jackson, or click the “Donate Now” button for a postage paid mailing label.

Terrell's Most Wanted

You can help your Terrell Police Department apprehend the criminals operating in our community by clicking here.