Bee Cave PD can arrest 'vast majority' of retail theft suspects, police say

BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) — The city of Bee Cave can see an influx of about 75,000 people during the holiday season, according to the city's communications department. By comparison, the city's population is around 9,000.

While those numbers go for the city as a whole, the Hill Country Galleria draws in a big percentage of those folks.

"A lot of people shopping, trying to find their gifts and getting ready for holiday events," said Austin Atchley, who's worked at Gatsby's Clothier at the mall since the store opened there in 2013.

To keep shops like his safe from retail theft, the Bee Cave Police Department created a bike patrol unit to monitor the mall. These officers also keep an eye on cars in the parking lot.

"There are a lot more people here both on foot and in their cars, so the bike is a really good tool for us to use when we have that going on," said Senior Officer Mathew Stevko.

The department said the primary calls they get around the holidays are for retail theft and car burglaries, and BCPD believes proactive patrols help address this issue.

"The response times are quicker in a city of Bee Cave's size, I would estimate two to three minutes," said Patrol Officer Jonathan Taylor. "We have the ability to arrest the vast majority of people who come to Bee Cave to commit retail theft. Part of that is that we're not call driven, we're encouraged to be proactive and we stay proactive."

Both officers said staying visible not only helps deter crime but also bolsters their relationship with the community.

"This is a great tool being on the bike, it lets us interact with anybody from the businesses to citizens that are shopping or just lost. I've run into multiple people who just needed guidance on where to go," Stevko said.

While BCPD said it does have the flexibility to be proactive, the agency does still need to hire more officers.