Police Department

$17,200,500

FY 2022-2023 (adopted budget)

Figures are the adopted budget (FY 2022-2023 (adopted budget)) — the newest line-item detail the city publishes. Current-year detail requires a Texas Public Information Act request. · source

Which number is right — $16M, $17.2M, or $18.8M?

All three appear in the city's own documents, with different scopes. $16,045,200 is the police line in the FY 2024-25 proposed general-fund summary. $18,756,700 is the Police Department total in the same budget's fund tables (all funding sources). $17,200,500 is the FY 2022-23 adopted line-item budget shown on this page — the newest year for which the city publishes full detail. Public Safety Communications (dispatch/911) is budgeted separately at about $3.2M.

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How many officers does Pharr have?

134 sworn officers plus 31 civilian staff - 165 total employees (2025, as reported by the department itself to the FBI; about 2.0 employees per 1,000 residents). Ten-year trend in sworn officers: 121 (2015), 125 (2018), 125 (2020), 132 (2021), 140 (2022), 131 (2023), 135 (2024), 134 (2025). Simple arithmetic, ours: the FY22-23 budget of $17.2M works out to roughly $104,000 per employee, fully loaded (salary + insurance + retirement + equipment + everything).

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Are they actually out there? 27,463 traffic stops last year

Texas law requires every police department to file an annual racial-profiling report with the state (TCOLE), and those filings count every traffic stop. Pharr PD reported 27,463 motor-vehicle stops in 2025 - about 75 per day (30,462 in 2024; 23,522 in 2023). Outcomes in 2025: 22,634 written warnings, 4,751 citations, 60 stops ending in arrest. Drivers stopped: 20,392 Hispanic, 6,767 White, 194 Black, 66 Native American, 44 Asian.

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Crime in Pharr has fallen sharply

Offenses the department reports to the FBI: violent crime fell from 364 (2020) to 174 (2025) - down 52%. Property crime fell from 1,258 to 885 over the same years. 2025 detail: 3 homicides, 33 rapes, 25 robberies, 113 aggravated assaults. Population served: about 81,470.

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What officers are paid

The city's own August 2026 job posting lists police officer pay at $37,500 to $61,034 per year (civil-service entry). A third-party payroll-scrape site (GovSalaries - treat with caution, not an official source) shows an average of about $55,931 across 95 officers in 2025. The chief's actual salary is not published anywhere - it requires a public information request to the city.

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Military surplus gear: Pharr PD used to have an MRAP - today it holds none

Through the Pentagon's 1033 program, Pharr PD received a Mine Resistant Armored Personnel vehicle (MRAP, acquisition value $412,000) in 2013, plus utility trucks, rifles, laptops and first-aid gear in earlier years. The department wound its inventory down over 2016-2020 and, as of the latest DLA data (Dec 31, 2025), holds ZERO 1033 property - it has exited the program. For context: the Hidalgo County Sheriff currently holds 5 items worth about $193,000.

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How the department is organized

Patrol is the largest division (bike patrol, bridge operations, commercial vehicle enforcement, K-9 with 5 handlers, mounted patrol). The Criminal Investigation Division covers persons, property, juvenile, auto theft, narcotics, and evidence. A Special Response Team (SWAT-type) is collateral duty. The police academy runs under an agreement with South Texas College. Note: 911 dispatch is NOT in this budget - it is a separate regional department (Public Safety Communications, about $3.2M) that also serves neighboring cities. Chief: Juan F. Gonzalez (since June 2023). HQ: 1900 S. Cage Blvd.

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What is NOT public - and how to ask for it

The city does not publish: calls-for-service or response times, a department annual report, the current-year line-item budget, the position schedule, or the chief's salary. All of these are obtainable under the Texas Public Information Act - requests go to the City of Pharr City Secretary (calls-for-service, budget detail, salaries) or to TCOLE in Austin (officer license counts). The city must respond within 10 business days.

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Staffing by year — officers (male/female) and civilians

Self-reported by the department to the FBI (counted as of Oct 31 each year). A blank year means the department didn't report.

Year	Male officers	Female officers	Total sworn	Civilians	Total
1990	55	2	57	23	80
1991	60	2	62	16	78
1992	59	3	62	23	85
1993	63	2	65	16	81
1994	63	2	65	26	91
1995	62	2	64	22	86
1996	58	2	60	17	77
1997	59	1	60	15	75
1998	59	1	60	23	83
1999	66	1	67	28	95
2000	77	2	79	24	103
2001	80	3	83	27	110
2002	78	4	82	32	114
2003	79	5	84	32	116
2004	89	6	95	32	127
2005	93	5	98	34	132
2006	104	5	109	41	150
2007	109	6	115	44	159
2008	101	5	106	46	152
2009	106	6	112	44	156
2010	112	6	118	45	163
2011	122	4	126	49	175
2012	not reported
2013	120	6	126	53	179
2014	not reported
2015	118	3	121	48	169
2016	118	7	125	39	164
2017	not reported
2018	119	6	125	36	161
2019	118	6	124	30	154
2020	120	5	125	37	162
2021	126	6	132	30	162
2022	130	10	140	30	170
2023	120	11	131	29	160
2024	122	13	135	32	167
2025	118	16	134	31	165

source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (search "Pharr Police Department")

Line-item names appear exactly as written in the city's ledger.

11 PERSONNEL SERVICES

$14,449,300

Salaries Pd $9,452,900

Police Insurance - United Health $1,381,400

Employees Retirement $1,196,200

Overtime/Work Study $800,000

F I C A $748,100

Annual Work Comp Insurance $381,800

Holiday Pay- Overtime Rate $291,800

Uniforms $86,000

T E C Taxes $44,600

Hazard Pay $35,000

Employees Retirement $15,200

Healthiest You $13,300

Eap-Assistance Program $3,000

55 OTHER SERVICES

$807,000

Insurance $300,000

Contractual Services $225,100

Communications $86,800

Lodging & Per-Diem $65,000

Registration Fees $55,000

Electricity $50,000

K-9 Operation $10,000

Utilities $8,100

Dues & Publications $7,000

44 RENTAL

$766,600

Other Equipment Rentals $728,500

Office Equipment Rentals $38,100

66 VEHICLE MAINTENANCE

$535,000

Gas & Oil $300,000

City Garage Repairs Police $100,000

Outside Repairs $78,700

City Garage Overhead Cost Police $56,300

77 DEBT SERVICE

$332,100

Lease Purchase - Principal $313,900

Lease Purchase - Interest $18,200

22 SUPPLIES

$230,500

Special Police Supplies $47,500

Non-Capital Equip & Supplies $45,500

Other Operating Supplies $30,000

Patrol $30,000

Office Supplies $20,000

Bulletproof Vest $20,000

Other Police Supplies $20,000

Other Supplies-Recruitment $17,500

33 MAINTENANCE

$80,000

Building & Equipment $75,000

Emergency Repairs $5,000