COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Hereford has been the county seat of Deaf Smith County since 1898. Most County offices which are housed in the white marble court house, built in 1910, serve a population of 19,061. The County Judge presides over a board of four county commissioners who are elected to rotating four-year terms. The Commissioners' Court meets every second and fourth Monday of the month to dispense county business.

COUNTY SHERIFF
Deaf Smith County Sheriff's Department covers the entire 1,750 square miles of the county with eleven field officers, one sheriff, one narcotics officer, and 10 reserve deputies. An office deputy and five communications center operators dispatch deputies and Department of Public Safety officers to all areas of the county outside the city limits. The county jail is supervised by nineteen corrections officers. All sheriff's deputies and officers are certified through the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education.

CITY GOVERNMENT
Hereford operates under a council-manager form of government. The mayor and six councilmen are elected to rotating two-year terms. The professional city manager is appointed by the mayor and council. The day-to-day business operations and municipal administration is performed by the city manager and supporting staff. The city council meets every first and third Monday of the month.

HEREFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Hereford Police Department is organized into three different departments:
- Administration - Police Chief and Captain
- Patrol Division - Lieutenant of Patrol and 18 officers who work in 3 eight-hour shifts
- Detective Division - Three detectives
- Communication Division - Five communication center operators who handle all incoming calls and dispatch all emergency care providers including EMS ambulances, fire department, and police officers.
This division operates the 911 center for Deaf Smith County. All officers are certified through the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education. The police department offers several community education programs concerning law enforcement and safety, including fingerprinting young children to aid in finding them in the event they are missing or abducted.

HEREFORD FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Hereford Fire Department is composed of two paid positions (one Fire Marshall and one maintenance person) and twenty-four volunteer firefighters. All volunteer firefighters are required to attend training and gain a state certification. Some training is offered locally while other training requires firefighters to attend the Texas A&M University Fire Training School in College Station, Texas. Excellent training and equipment has earned Hereford Fire Department an ISO rating of 4 - equal to that of many professional fire departments. Local firefighters will answer an average of 400 emergency, rescue, and fire calls per year.

Next Topic

Previous Topic