ABSTRACT
Waco is a moderate-sized central Texas city, far removed from other major metropolitan areas. It is centered in a farming region and features some light manufacturing and a well-known university (Baylor). The population of the city is approximately 109,200. The city has a substantial AfricanAmerican population (23 percent) and a growing Hispanic community (16 percent). Crime rates are unexceptional. The crime-related issue that most people associate with Waco, the Branch Davidian confrontation, occurred a dozen miles outside of town, and the Waco Police Department had little or no role in it. The Waco Police Department is made up of 201 sworn officers, 74 civilians, and 400 “citizens on patrol.”
