The La Villa Police Department now has more officers patrolling the streets.

In April 2024, Channel 5 News reported that the police department only had two people on the force: the police chief and assistant police chief. 

Now, the department has a total of four full-time officers. One more is needed to become fully staffed.

During a board of aldermen meeting held on Wednesday night, city leaders approved the search to find and hire the additional full-time officer needed. 

"But even without that position, we still have 10 reserve officers that help us,” La villa Police Chief Eloy Cardenas said.

Cardenas said the reserve officers are not paid by the city. They volunteer 16 hours a month to help patrol the streets. 

“They are carrying their license so they can continue to be police officers for the state of Texas,” Cardenas said.

The city is also working on acquiring a sixth full-time officer with the help of a $32,000 state grant that was awarded to La Villa in December 2024. 

The grant requires the officer to spend 80% of his shift at La Villa ISD, and the rest patrolling the city.

Cardenas said it will take about a month to fill the two new officer positions. 

“Continue to be patient, we obviously turned this around in a very short time. We have done a lot and I know the citizens have seen us out there,” Cardenas said.

Watch the video above for the full story.