Robstown police will soon have jurisdiction beyond city limits, learn why

City police departments only have jurisdiction within the city limits, but Robstown police will soon be able to do some work outside of the city.

This is part of a new agreement with the Nueces County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office.

“It’s about all of them working together because that is what it is about. It is about unity and communication,” Yvette Villalobos, a Robstown resident, said.

Villalobos has lived in Robstown most of her life, and she said she hopes this new agreement will help stop drugs and crime from entering the city.

“It is something that we needed, something that needed to be to where somebody stepped up and said you know what these things can’t be done alone,” Villalobos said. “We need everybody to participate in this because it influences the crime; it is not just a Robstown thing, it is all the areas.”

“Anybody delivering drugs into Robstown that is outside the county, now we are going to chase them outside the county,” Mike Tamez, Robstown Police Chief, said.

Tamez said the new inter-local agreement with the Constables Office will give them a higher chance to stop crime.

“We have crime within the city, but a lot of the crime leaves the city, and if we do not have the extension, the authority to be able to get out of the county and conduct those investigations, it is going to handcuff us just to the city of Robstown,” Tamez said. “This allows us to go out there and work with the local agencies to affect arrests outside the city limits.”

“The bigger the area, the more work there will be, but it will be distributed between both counties,” Oscar Mendoza, Nueces County Constable Precinct Five, said.

Mendoza said once both departments will start working together, they will have more resources.

“It is a win, it will benefit me and it will benefit Robstown, we don’t have the resources that we would like to have to address some of the issues that are out in the county,” Mendoza said.

Tamez said this agreement would not affect the workflow of their officers because they are not going to be pulled out of their tasks in the city to assist the county.

“If officers are going to go out to assist the county, or our organized crime unit officers, if they are going to conduct an investigation with the county, we will supplant that with over time money from our government grants,” Tamez said. “It does not affect man power inside the city at all, it will not affect our ability to answer calls with the same frequency that we are doing it right now.”

Tamez said this agreement comes in hopes of prioritizing citizen’s safety.

“We are effecting arrests for criminals that are victimizing our citizens is the priority, this is just a really good extension that will allow us to face criminals operating in our city that are going out in the county,” Tamez said.

“It’s about getting things right, saying I need to fight for this, and we need to get this right because it is a safety for our community for the residents here,” Villalobos said.

Tamez said the Robstown police will work hand in hand with the Constables Office to ensure safety for the residents.

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