- Premont Police are stressing the importance of an existing city ordinance about street addresses.
- The ordinance states the address numbers must be seen from the street. The numbers can be posted on the home, mailbox, post, carport or curb.
- Officers are helping residents meet the ordinance if they call city hall or message them on Facebook.
The Chief of Police in Premont is working towards providing better service to people in this small town. His officers work hard keeping the streets safe, but an existing city ordinance is letting officers give a new meaning to ‘serve and protect'.
A Premont city ordinance states street address numbers must be clearly visible from the street. Law enforcement says an address that's not visible can be a problem.
Rosie Tamez, a Premont resident, knows all too well how that can be a problem, especially in an emergency.
"I have called the ambulance for my sister on the east side of town. And they have been going up and down on the streets. They could never find it,” she said.
Thankfully, her sister got the help she needed.
Premont's Police Chief said first responders can lose critical time if they must search for an address.
Some officers have been fixing the problem themselves with permission from homeowners.
"Myself and some other officers went out there. We made contact with some of the residents that didn't have these numbers. We brought spray paint, stencils, and we made the house compliant,” said Ricardo R. Garcia, Premont Police Chief.
The city’s ordinance said address numbers can be on the home, mailbox, curb, or carport as long as they can be seen from the street.
"Now, our ordinance that we're looking at has to do with the numbering of the buildings and of the residents. It's all stuff that we – as we grow move forward as a city these are all things we need to have in place so we can be safer,” Garcia said.
Chief Ricardo Garcia wants people who need help to call City Hall. He said a team is prepared to take steps to help keep the community safe.
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