Hays County residents will vote between Democrat Alex Villalobos and Republican Anthony Hipolito for sheriff this fall.
The Hays County Sheriff’s Office has been at the forefront of issues concerning local school districts, including launching campaigns for fentanyl awareness and dealing with violent threats to campuses. The Sheriff’s Office also oversees school resource officers, licensed officers assigned to a school district or campus.
After 14 years in office, Republican Sheriff Gary Cutler decided not to seek re-election; he has endorsed Hipolito.
We asked the candidates about issues concerning local school districts and a bonus question about the county's growth. Here's what they had to say.
Alex Villalobos
Earlier this year, Villalobos won the Democratic nomination by 69% against a Hays County constable.
Alex Villalobos worked for Texas State University’s Police Department and served as a District 4 representative on the Kyle City Council. He was chief of staff for the Hays County Judge’s Office before resigning in 2021, returning to his chief of staff position at the start of 2023.
Villalobos ran for Hays County sheriff in 2020, but lost to Cutler by a narrow margin.
Villalobos said his position at the judge’s office lets him be involved in projects across county departments, including the county’s mental health court.
School threats
School districts are seeing a nationwide rise in violent threats. In Hays County, several students have been arrested by the Hays County Sheriff’s Office for making threats against Hays Consolidated ISD campuses. How would you lead the sheriff’s department to identify and investigate these threats? What consequences should students face?
Villalobos said he would like to create a consistent model for school districts and law enforcement to address violent threats against campuses.
“All threats to our campus must be taken as a valid threat until proven otherwise,” he said.
Villalobos said the sheriff’s department needs to leverage technology to identify threats. He would like to create a notification system to alert people of threats and use AI to scan social media and identify trigger words. Part of his plan would also incorporate camera systems on campuses that can feed live video to dispatch centers.
Villalobos believes his department should also help tackle the bigger picture.
“We gotta get down to the root issues on why students feel compelled to do some of the things that they’re doing,” he said. “Not just arrest or investigate, and we discipline and we move on.”
The fentanyl crisis
The Hays Consolidated ISD has partnered with the Sheriff’s Office to raise awareness of fentanyl in the community after several students died from overdoses. How would you continue this partnership?
Villalobos said he would like to train school resource officers to teach students lessons on drug and violence awareness. He believes arresting students should be used as a last resort.
“Number one is public safety,” he said. “But also balancing discipline or restorative justice programming to redirect a lot of these issues away from our schools.”
Villalobos said he would share data and trends with school districts so they can make informed decisions. He believes students can change their behavior through mentoring and education.
“Our job is to ensure the highest probability of success for these students in a safe learning environment,” he said. “So if I’m working with the school district, they have goals and needs that I need to understand, which I do.”
School resource officers
A school safety bill, House Bill 3, went into effect in September 2023. It requires every school in the state to have an armed security guard. What do you believe should be the role of school resource officers on campuses in the county?
Villalobos said school resource officers are the first line of defense ensuring safety on school campuses. He said he believes officers should be trained to address active shooter incidents and emergency scenarios while focusing on de-escalation.
“Not only are you an officer, but you are part of the educational process within a school,” he said. “You are an educator.”
Villalobos said school resource officers should also act as coaches and mentors to students.
County growth
Hays County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country. With no end in sight, what is your plan for ensuring the sheriff's office is well-staffed to keep up with growth? How do you plan to recruit and retain deputies?
Villalobos said he would develop a five-year staffing plan to account for growth in the county. He said he would like to implement recognition programs, peer support groups and community engagement opportunities.
“[By] providing support and creating growth opportunities, police agencies can improve morale and increase job satisfaction,” he said. “Ultimately providing better service to their communities.”
Villalobos said he would like to create better relationships with colleges and high schools to help recruit students interested in law enforcement. He believes communicating with members of the Hays County Commissioners Court can help bring more resources to the sheriff’s office, including the money for competitive pay and benefits.
“I really believe in those plans, I’ve seen them work,” he said. “And I want to make them work within the Sheriff’s Department.”
Anthony Hipolito
Hipolito worked at the Austin Police Department for 23 years until he left the office in 2021 and began working for the Hays County Sheriff’s Office. Hipolito is currently a deputy under Sheriff Cutler and is in the Community Outreach Division, which works closely with the Hays County Crime Stoppers group.
Hipolito said he worked to earn the respect of those currently at the Sheriff’s Office and wants to give back to the community he grew up in.
School threats
School districts are seeing a nationwide rise in violent threats. In Hays County, several students have been arrested by the Hays County Sheriff’s Office for making threats against Hays Consolidated ISD campuses. How would you lead the sheriff’s department to identify and investigate these threats? What consequences should students face?
Hipolito said the department should use technology to help disprove false threats and allow schools to resume classes in a timely manner. He said the Sheriff’s Office should educate students and bring awareness to the seriousness of school threats.
“If we have to make an example out of these kids by putting them in jail, we’re going to continue to do that because the message has to be clear,” he said.
Hipolito said school resource officers should be the front line in identifying school threats. He believes they have done a great job so far forming relationships with kids and helping the Sheriff’s Office investigate threats in a timely manner.
“Our school resource officer program is going to continue to get bigger,” he said. “We're trying to figure out ways to get a deputy in every school.”
The fentanyl crisis
The Hays Consolidated ISD has partnered with the Sheriff’s Office to raise awareness of fentanyl in the community after several students died from overdoses. How would you continue this partnership?
Hipolito said the Community Outreach Division has been at the forefront of the fentanyl awareness education campaign. He believes the department should continue its campaign and expand it to younger students while highlighting how mental health can play a role in fentanyl overdoses.
“I think there’s a way for us to develop a program that is suitable for elementary school kids,” he said. “That’s something we’re looking at and we hope to implement next school year.”
Hipolito said the department will continue looking at trends to see what kinds of drugs are coming to the region, but he says fentanyl isn’t going anywhere.
“We’ve put some very high-level drug dealers in federal prison,” he said. “So while it’s slowing down, it’s not going away.”
School resource officers
A school safety bill, House Bill 3, went into effect in September 2023. It requires every school in the state to have an armed security guard. What do you believe should be the role of school resource officers on campuses in the county?
Hipolito said school resource officers are a partnership between law enforcement and school districts. He said the county has a robust program, but some deputies are assigned to multiple campuses.
“I want a deputy in every school,” he said. “We’re going to do everything we can as a sheriff’s office to recruit and get a gun on every single campus that we cover.”
Hipolito said that’s something he wants to accomplish as soon as possible and is in support of school marshal programs in districts across the county.
County growth
Hays County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country. With no end in sight, what is your plan for ensuring the sheriff's office is well-staffed to keep up with growth? How do you plan to recruit and retain deputies?
Hipolito said he would tackle recruitment by creating a full-time recruiting unit comprised of two officers who would help the agency grow to meet demand.
“We get people wanting to be police officers and corrections officers, but we’re not going to settle for somebody that’s not qualified just to fill a position,” he said.
Hipolito said part of his strategy would include recruiting from military bases and colleges. He said Hays County will continue to grow, and so should the law enforcement agencies in the region.
“Let’s create a culture where people love and want to come to work every single day,” he said. “They just go out and serve the community the way the community deserves to be served.”
Early voting runs from Monday, Oct 21, through Friday, Nov 1. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 5.
