ANNUAL REPORT 2024
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF
As we reflect on the past year, I am proud to present our 2024 Annual Report, which highlights the hard work, dedication, and resilience of our department for the community we serve. It has been a year of challenges and change, but also one of growth, collaboration, and significant achievements.
Our officers continue to demonstrate unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of our citizens, responding to emergencies with professionalism and ensuring that our neighborhoods remain secure. We have also worked tirelessly to strengthen our relationships with the community, forging partnerships with local organizations, schools, and residents to foster trust and transparency.
In addition to our core responsibilities, we have made meaningful strides in areas such as community policing, mental health crisis response, and crime prevention. By embracing innovative approaches, utilizing technology, and continuing our training programs, we are better equipped to face the evolving and growing needs of our community.
While we have made great progress, we recognize there is always room for improvement. We are dedicated to learning from our experiences, listening to feedback, and continuously striving to provide exceptional service to the people who depend on us.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our officers, staff, and community partners for their tireless efforts in making our department as well as our city a better place for everyone. Together, we will continue to build a safer, stronger, and more resilient community for years to come.
CHIEF JASON JEFFCOAT
MISSION STATEMENT
The Sherman Police Department is committed to protecting the public from harm while maintaining trust and building confidence within the community.
OUR VALUES
Integrity
Compassion
Professionalism
Fairness/Equality
Loyalty
Leadership
Courage
Teamwork
SHERMAN POLICE ORGANIZATION
Patrol Bureau
Public Safety Support Bureau
RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING
Ongoing attempt to staff the Department positions through aggressive recruiting techniques.
PATROL BUREAU
The Patrol Division is the largest and most visible element of the Department. Patrol officers have a variety of crucial responsibilities including conducting criminal investigations, investigating traffic accidents, and patrolling their assigned geographical areas. Patrol officers are divided across four patrol shifts, each supervised by a Sergeant. The Division is commanded by two patrol Lieutenants and one Assistant Chief of Police. Many officers serve specialized roles in addition to their patrol duties, such as Special Response Team (SRT), Critical Accident Investigation Team (CAIT),
Patrol Stats
Public Safety Assistants
The Department’s Public Safety Assistants (PSAs) serve as a vital, forward-facing component of the agency. In addition to greeting and directing visitors, PSAs enhance the efficiency of the Patrol Division by documenting calls for service and submitting offense reports that do not require an immediate response of a patrol officer.
PSAs also play a key role in parking enforcement, answering and directing phone calls, and providing citizens with guidance on various Department processes.
In 2024 alone, PSAs completed 723 offense reports and follow-ups, reducing the workload on patrol officers and allowing more focus for higher-priority calls. PSAs had 3,252 lobby contacts in addition to issuing 814 parking citations. PSAs contribution to the department not only improves response times for critical incidents but enhances overall service to the community.
Field Training Officers (FTO), and K9 Handlers. In addition, our Motorcycle Unit has many functions, including traffic enforcement, patrol duties, escorts, public relations, and parades. A motor unit’s ability to maneuver through heavy traffic allows them to respond to incidents much faster and to access areas a standard patrol car cannot go.
814 Citations 723 Reports
3252 Lobby Contacts
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION (CID)
The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is responsible for investigating felony offenses and cases requiring extensive follow-up. Within CID, the Family Services section focuses on crimes against children and manages sex offender registration. A rotating team of detectives and criminalists are on-call 24/7 to respond to major crimes. CID saw an increase in total cases assigned while cases cleared went down in 2024.
Criminalists work alongside detectives to assist with evidence collection, analysis, and preservation. In 2024, criminalists processed 112 crime scenes, a 160% increase from 2023. This increase was made possible by the addition of a second Criminalist position in January 2024, significantly enhancing the efficiency of CID investigations.
Crimes Against Persons
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT (SIU)
Our SIU Detectives are members of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force. They regularly assist other member agencies with search warrants, cases, seizures, and arrests, which do not always originate from Sherman or Sherman Police Department. These cases are interconnected with those investigated by our agency. Participating in this task force allows our SIU Detectives to target larger and regional issues that have strong ties to crime in Sherman.
SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM (SRT)
The Special Response Team (SRT) was activated three times in 2024. Two of those incidents were highrisk search / arrest warrants conducted in Sherman. In January, the DEA requested SRT’s assistance with the execution of a search / arrest warrant on a potentially armed and dangerous individual. The final operation of the year was the execution of a narcotics search warrant to assist the Specialized Investigations Unit. All incidents were successfully resolved without injury or loss of life to any person(s).
SRT conducted 96 hours of monthly training and obtained an additional 302 training hours from outside training sources to include precision rifle, tactical emergency casualty care, and vehicle assault training. Three new officers were appointed in October 2024 and will complete initial training in the 2nd Quarter of 2025.
K9 UNIT
In December 2023, K9 Spy was chosen as the newest K9 member of the Sherman Police Department and Officer Johnson’s partner. On January 18, 2024, Officer Johnson picked up K9 Spy, and they spent several weeks bonding before attending the K9 handler course. The duo traveled to Petal, Mississippi, for training, which they completed together. By March, they had returned to their patrol duties.
K9 Spy and Officer Johnson assisted the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) numerous times, with targeted traffic stops and search warrants. The K9 unit became an invaluable asset to the patrol division. K9 Spy conducted 86 open-air sniffs and played a crucial role in the seizure of 289 grams of methamphetamine, 168 grams of fentanyl, and over $50,000 in drug money.
2024
Sherman Animal Shelter Earns Merit for Handling Distemper Crisis, Surges in Pet Adoptions.
In January, the Sherman Animal Shelter was selected to join a peer mentorship program led by Operation Kindness, funded by the Lifesaving Partnerships Grant from Best Friends Animal Society. This partnership allowed the shelter to spay and neuter over 1,059 dogs and cats—an increase of 196 animals from last year.
In May several dogs tested positive for the deadly distemper virus. For their exceptional handling of this extremely difficult situation, the Animal Services staff received a Certificate of Merit from the Sherman Police Department.
Animal intakes rose in 2024, with an 8% increase in dogs and a significant 53% increase in cats compared to 2023. Despite the higher intake numbers, adoptions surged: dog adoptions increased by 27%, while cat adoptions climbed by 62%, thanks to the hard work and dedication of shelter staff.
The shelter also underwent interior upgrades of a new cat adoption room in the front lobby, along with luxury cat condos to expand housing capacity.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Property and Evidence Records
The area of property and evidence allows for an efficient way to house, inventory, release, and dispose of evidence lawfully seized and taken into custody by this Department. In 2024 we accepted 2,782 items of evidence but were able to destroy and release 8,879 and 541 items respectively. Currently we are housing over 29,000 items of evidence. The property room has established procedures to protect the integrity of the property and evidence under its control. In addition, the property and evidence section is responsible for the collection and destruction of prescription medications obtained through the DEA-Drug Take Back Program and the prescription drug drop off container in the lobby of Police Headquarters. Through these two initiatives, 40 boxes (25-40 pounds each) were able to be destroyed. This kept the prescription medications from being abused, flushed down the drains into the water supply, or dumped into the local landfill. In 2024 the property and evidence section also began the process of digital conversion of the electronic data being stored at the Department.
Items Received
2,782 Items Disposed
541
8,879 Items Released
The Records Division is centrally located near the entrance of the headquarters for easy access to assist the public. The Records Division staff consists of one supervisor and two record specialists who take pride in proficiently handling all misdemeanor and felony case filings, public information requests, intergovernmental requests, background checks and the review of accident reports.
SUPPORT SERVICES Communications
Our Emergency Communications Center (ECC) is dedicated to innovation and staying relevant in a constantly evolving industry. We are committed to delivering exceptional service to our community, providing meaningful training for our team, and unwaveringly supporting our responders, which sets us apart. Each member of the Communications team upholds high standards and is dedicated to assisting our citizens effectively.
This year, we have enhanced our Next Generation 911 services. Our ECC was already able to receive 911 calls through location-based routing and texts to 911. We are proud to announce that we are now equipped to receive pictures and videos via 911. This valuable
feature allows our Communications Officers to witness emergent events in real-time and relay first-hand information to our responders. These services have proven helpful in many situations, including major vehicle accidents, locating lost children, in-progress incidents, and more.
With the help of grant funds, we were able to enhance the functionality of our ECC. These funds were allocated for the purchase of new console furniture and additional Next Generation 911 hardware. The new consoles provide ample space to accommodate the various hardware components needed to run our software programs. They not only protect our equipment but also support our team in delivering the best possible service to the City of Sherman.
Training Hours
In the United States, the average 911 answer time is 90% within 10 seconds.
2024 SPD average 96.97%
These hours included continuing education for Emergency Medical Dispatch, Mental Health training, Active Shooter training, Emergency Call-taking, Dispatch of high-priority incidents, Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, and Leadership training.
COMMUNITY EVENTS 2024
FEBRUARY - 2nd Annual Sherman Police Association Awards Banquet
The Sherman Police Association held its 2nd Annual Awards Banquet for the employees of the Sherman Police Department. Several awards were given out, and many local businesses kindly donated raffle items for our employees. Everyone in attendance enjoyed a night of fun and fellowship.
MARCH - Spring Citizen’s Police Academy
The Sherman Police Department welcomed our 11th class of our Citizen’s Police Academy (CPA). Our CPA gives members of our community an inside look at our agency. They receive hands-on instruction in a variety of topics, to include: Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Special Response Team, Use of Force scenarios, plus more. Later in the year, during the fall, we welcomed our 12th CPA class.
MAY - 8th Annual Back the Badge Golf Tournament
The Sherman Police Department participated in the 8th Annual Back the Badge Golf Tournament held at Stone Creek Golf Club. The proceeds from the tournament help law enforcement families in times of need. We owe a special thanks to Nautilus Family Fitness and Byrne Construction for sponsoring our teams this year.
JULY - Lights on the Lake
The Sherman Police Department was once again involved in the City of Sherman’s Fourth of July event. This event is one of the most popular city events of the year. Officers assisted with multiple facets of the event, to include: parking, security, and traffic control.
JULY - Sherman PD Summer Youth Camp
The Sherman Police Department held our second annual Summer Youth Camp. The department hosted two weeks, one for “Rookies” (new campers) and one for “Veterans” (returning campers). Each class received both classroom and hands-on instruction from a variety of topics, to include: Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Special Response Team, K9, and more. The “Veterans” week was a bit more in-depth and even allowed the kids to complete a mock investigation.
AUGUST - Grillin’ and Givin’ Back Celebration
The Sherman Police Department was proud to be invited to this back to school event held at Kidd Key Park. Our agency gave away over 100 backpacks and school supplies. They were purchased with money we obtained from drug seizures.
OCTOBER - National Night Out
The Sherman Police Department hosted our first nationally registered National Night Out event. Over a dozen local organizations assisted as vendors and hundreds of people showed up, making this event a huge success! To top it off, our agency finished in the top five of nationally registered first year participants.
OCTOBER - Fright Fest
This community favorite was a huge success. This event had it all - over 45 vendors, an incredible DJ, tons of candy, and thousands of participants. A special thank you to Sherman ISD and the Sherman ISD Police Department for all their help and support!
NOVEMBER - Farewell Celebration of Mayor Plyler
The Sherman Police Department attended the farewell celebration for Mayor David Plyler. In recognition of our appreciation for his service, we presented Mayor Plyler with a Glock 48 courtesy of the Sherman Police Association.
DECEMBER - Blue Santa 3
The Sherman Police Department continued our Blue Santa Program and worked with four different local nonprofits and churches. We identified four families who were experiencing hardships. Members of our agency teamed up to make sure the family, especially the children, had some gifts for Christmas.
AWARDS AND COMMENDATIONS Law Enforcement
THE SHERMAN POLICE DEPARTMENT IS COMMITTED TO PROTECTING THE PUBLIC FROM HARM WHILE MAINTAINING TRUST AND BUILDING CONFIDENCE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.