HUTTO, Texas — When the lights turn on at the Hutto Police Department, you can take a trip down memory lane.
Inside, there is a long wall displaying the headshots of former police chiefs throughout the decades. At the end of the line, you'll see someone special.
Raised in Nacogdoches, Texas – the oldest town in the state – Jeffrey Yarbrough is a name to know. He's serving as the first Black police chief of the Hutto Police Department.
"Growing up, I never really thought about law enforcement until I got out of the military and started thinking about it and realizing who the template for my life really was. And it was my father, and he was in law enforcement," Yarbrough said.
Yarbrough grew up with his father, who is a minister and in law enforcement, and his brother, who is also a minister and in law enforcement.
A University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas A&M graduate, Yarbrough has more than 28 years of law enforcement experience. But the journey to get to his position wasn't always easy.
"As a Black man in law enforcement, you're in a middle area, meaning that you have to prove yourself on so many levels," he said. "I had to prove myself to the officers that I worked with to let them know that I was committed to the profession of protecting and serving."
Only nine months into a new role, a new office and a new city, Yarbrough said the Hutto Hippos community has treated him like a long-time resident.
"You come into this place, and I'm always waiting for the honeymoon to end," Yarbrough said.
According to the latest data, about 31,441 people live in Hutto. The Black population makes up about 14% of that total.
The first settler in Hutto was a Black man named Adam Orgain, who moved to Hutto in 1854. Orgain paved the pathway for many firsts to come after him.
"He paved the way so that 168 years later, I could become the first Black chief of police in Hutto. I will add to the foundation he laid so that although I am the first, I won’t be the last," Yarbrough said.
As the first Black law enforcement leader, serving in a predominantly white community, Yarbrough said it's important to serve with your heart.
"When you're a police officer, particularly a Black police officer, one of the things that I've found that's been very helpful for me is serving with my heart and letting people know that I do have empathy, sympathy and compassion and putting others first," Yarbrough said. "That is a selfless sacrifice that I think paves the road for so many who will come behind me."
Along the way, Yarbrough has received multiple recognitions, including accepting the 2022 State of Texas Law Enforcement Achievement Award for Professional Achievement through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement at the Texas House of Representatives.
In addition, he received a proclamation from the Texas Senate in recognition of his professional achievements. Yarbrough is the recipient of the 2022 Texas A&M University Outstanding Alumni-Early Career Award from the School of Education and Human Development. He is the first police officer and police chief to be bestowed this prestigious honor.
"When people recognize the work that you're doing and when you're doing it for others and not for yourself, I think that that's what highlights those efforts the most," Yarbrough said.
For him, this is more than just a new job and promotion. Yarbrough is making history as the first Black police chief for a city he now calls home.
"I want our children to know that coming into this profession is unlike any other profession, and it provides you an opportunity of a lifetime. You get to see people at their worst and help them through those situations. You get to see people at their best and applaud them for what they've accomplished. You get a chance to see people who are struggling and they're at the crossroads, and you get to tell them that if you want to know the direction, just turn right and go straight," Yarbrough said.
Yarbrough has developed a school safety model called the "Four Pillars of School Safety and Policing" as a national standard for effective, innovative and transformative school safety. It focuses on safety and security, equity, behavioral health and student advocacy.
He also developed the "Community S.A.F.E. (Strategic Actions for Everyone) Project" as a model for community safety. The program provides law enforcement assistance to community pre-schools, churches and businesses to develop and improve civilian response plans to critical incidents including fire, severe weather, train derailment and active shooter events.
"My goal in life is to make sure that when I'm finished in this profession, people can look and say, 'He helped me. He made a difference. He is the reason why I want to be a police officer. He is the reason why I serve,'" Yarbrough said. "So when you get those kinds of opportunities, you seize the moment because it's rare. Hutto is that special place that makes me proud to be the first Black chief of police for this community."
Yarbrough is currently writing a college level textbook on the Four Pillars of School Safety and Policing that will be published by the world-renowned Routledge, Taylor, & Francis Publishing Company in September.