Police Chief Opposes Proposed Staff Cuts: "Criminal Element Exists in Abilene"

During Monday's City Commission meeting, Abilene Police Chief Jason Wilkins voiced strong opposition to a proposal that would reduce the police force by 20 percent, warning commissioners that a "criminal element" exists in the city that most residents don't see.

The discussion emerged as Commissioner Kolhoff proposed eliminating three positions in the police department, including the vacant deputy chief position and a patrol officer position, as part of a broader effort to reduce the city's budget.

"It's somewhat disheartening that when my first time [addressing] you guys as the chief of police is to try to articulate [against] you guys cutting the department staff by 20%," Wilkins told the commission.

Chief Wilkins emphasized that while he couldn't provide specific data comparing safety levels between different staffing models, he noted the department has maintained a staff of 14 officers for the past 20 years. The proposed cuts would reduce staffing to levels not seen since the 1990s or early 2000s.

"You think of what the world we live in today looks like versus what [it] looked like in the late 90s, early 2000s," Wilkins said. "Police officers are asked to be cops. There has to be marriage counselors, therapists, social workers and everything in between. The expectation of community has a police officer today is not nearly the same as it was in the late 90s, early 2000s."

The chief added, "We can't police the same [in] 2025 as we policed in 2015 as we policed in 2005, certainly not [as] we placed in 1995."

Commissioner Kolhoff, who presented the proposed cuts, clarified that his goal was not to eliminate currently filled positions but to find efficiencies through natural attrition. He asked about the possibility of a ride-along to better understand police operations.

A community member who works with abused children, also spoke against the proposed cuts, stating, "I think our kids would be hurt if we did not have the right number of police officers. The kids I work with have been sex trafficked... I feel like we have a vulnerable population and they need protection."

The commission ultimately voted to table the budget discussion until their September 22 meeting to allow for further consideration of the proposed cuts and their potential impact on city services.