History

Beginnings

The Colony Police originally began as a Law Enforcement Committee. The committee was an advisory board to the City Council regarding police matters as well as a liaison between the citizens and the city government. When this board was formed, the city’s population was approximately 5000 and the last street north was Nash Drive. The board members would actually respond to calls; they were unarmed and did not know what they were getting into!

Fleet

In 1978 The Colony Police purchased their first marked units, which were retired Texas State Troopers cars. The fleet is shown here parked at the old city hall / police station that was located at 4916 Main Street.

Staff Evolution

A police reserve group was also formed about this time and was armed and  certified by the state. Soon after the formation of the reserves, The  Colony added two full time employees; a Chief of Police and a patrol  officer. By 1981 The Colony police staff had grown to 11 full time  officers. Also in June of that year, The Colony hired 24 hour police and  fire dispatch staff, prior to which, all calls were routed through the  Denton County Sheriff’s Department. A few surrounding cities still  continue to utilize the sheriff’s department for dispatch, such as  Little Elm and Corinth.

Locations

The Colony then purchased several portable buildings which were originally used by Methodist Hospital as a portable clinic. These buildings were used as city hall as well as police operations and were located alongside the current Fire Station Number 2 at 5571 North Colony Boulevard.

On Saturday, October 3, 1987 The Colony Police; along with the city hall, library and the recreation center opened its doors at 5151 North Colony Boulevard To this date, The Colony Police still uses the same building that they share with the municipal court, but have expanded into the area previously occupied by city hall and the former council chamber converted into a courtroom. The city hall and library are now at 6800 Main Street.

On March 21, 2011 The Colony Police opened its doors to its new state-of-the-art, 17,000 square foot jail facility. This new area includes a firing range, property room, lab, vehicle searching area and sally port.

Personnel

Chiefs

Since The Colony was formed, it has had Seven Chiefs of Police:

  • Jim Beltran - August 1977 to May 1978
  • John Steinsiek - July 1978 to September 1979
  • Nick Ristagno - January 1980 to April 1990
  • Ted Gibson - December 1990 to February 1992
  • Bruce Stewart - December 1992 to September 1995
  • Joe Clark - April 1996 to May 2014
  • David Coulon - September 2014 to present

Officers & Staff

Since its inception, The Colony Police has become a very progressive department. The department now has 86 sworn officers and 16 civilians. The department utilizes the latest technology, including patrol cars equipped with laptop computers operating on a brand new CAD system; AEDs (automated external defibrillator), Rescue Discs, Stop Sticks, front and rear radar units, LED emergency lighting and camera systems. The Colony also has a 18 member S.W.A.T. team that includes an entry team, snipers and tactical medic as well as an APC (armored personnel carrier) and RDV (Rapid Deployment Vehicle). 

Role in The Colony

The City of The Colony is a young dynamic growing community of about 45,000 and has been rated one of the ten best cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The Colony Police Department is always striving to improve the quality of life within our community, and we feel this is best accomplished by a partnership between the police department and our informed citizens. We offer many services that assist citizens with staying informed such as Facebook, Twitter, and Crimereports.com, as well as many opportunities such as the Citizen’s Police Academy and National Night Out.

Thanks to the efforts of our citizens and the police department, the city’s per capita crime rate fell 14.5%, setting a 20 year record low crime rate in 2009 and in 2010 decreased 7% from 2009 setting another record low. Also in 2009, The Colony Police also received a first place award in a national competition for their new police car design.

RecognitionRecognized Law Enforcement Agency seal

In 2014, The Colony Police Department completed a lengthy process of becoming "recognized" by the Texas Police Chiefs Association Best Practices Recognition Program. The Law Enforcement Recognition Program is a voluntary process where police agencies in Texas prove their compliance with 168 Texas Law Enforcement Best Practices. These Best Practices were carefully developed by Texas Law Enforcement professionals to assist agencies in the efficient and effective delivery of service, the reduction of risk and the protection of individual’s rights. While similar in nature to the national accreditation program, the Best Practices Recognition Program is easier to administer, lower in cost and is designed specifically for Texas Law Enforcement.

The Texas Legislature demands a great deal of professional law enforcement in Texas and the Best Practices were specifically designed to aid Texas agencies in meeting those demands and providing the best quality of service to the people of our State. Since its inception in 2006, over 100 Texas Law Enforcement Agencies have been Recognized and many more are currently in the process to become Recognized Agencies. While members of the Texas Police Chiefs Association recognizes and supports the national accreditation program, The Texas Best Practices Recognition Program has clearly become the new Gold Standard for Texas Law Enforcement!

Image of six Police department badges from 1977 until present

Patches

As The Colony Police Department has changed in time, so have our uniform shoulder patches. Since 1977, the shoulder patch has changed a total of 6 times. The current patch captures flags of our state and nation, as well as an iconic sail boat which is the city logo inside of a silver star.