Snook Town Leaders Consider Creating Police Force, Gathering Resident Input

SNOOK, Texas (KBTX) – The Snook City Council held a public meeting Monday to gather public opinion on creating a police department for the city.

Snook has a population of just over 500, but is located near the rapidly expanding Interstate 60. Mayor Frank Fields told the group that there are already plans to build numerous gas stations along the busy road near Snook, and more development is sure to follow.

Many residents approached the council to support the construction of the new department.

“If they had a police officer who could come and say, listen, you have to keep your voice down or you’re going to get a ticket, I think that would make a big difference,” said Snook resident Brenda Wasik.

Others came out to demand an ambulance to come to the community. During the meeting, residents said they had to wait more than 30 minutes for an emergency call.

“We need an ambulance. It’s way more important than a police department right now because it takes an ambulance as long to get here as it does a sheriff,” said Snook resident Linda Adair.

Adair and others said the lack of crime in the area made creating a police force unnecessary. Fields and many council members expressed concerns about what would happen when the need arose.

“I think as a council we don’t want bad things to happen before we feel the need to create a police department,” Fields said.

Fields said the item will continue to be on the agenda for future council meetings as they explore options and consider feedback from the meeting. If they were to move forward with creating a department, Fields said the earliest possible would be next spring.

To make the service a reality, there have been discussions about how many officers it would take and how it could be funded. City leaders have discussed the need for a new property and sales tax to fund the project.