The Collin County Sheriff’s Office is losing its only dedicated public affairs sergeant on October 1, a cut that has already forced the cancellation of this year’s Citizens Academy, a longstanding community program that was set to begin this week. Sheriff Jim Skinner announced the changes in a community update, saying the Collin County Commissioners Court voted to eliminate the position during FY2027 budget workshops.
The sergeant losing her job is Jessica Pond, who currently serves as the Sheriff’s Office’s public information and public affairs sergeant, overseeing public information, public affairs, community engagement, crime prevention, public education, and coordination of community events and presentations, according to the Collin County Sheriff’s Office. Pond marked 20 years of service with the agency in January, having started as a detention officer in 2005 before rising to lead the department’s public information and community outreach efforts, per the Collin County Sheriff’s Office. She was still handling the job’s highest-profile duties just days before the vote, issuing a formal statement on August 16 as the department’s spokesperson regarding deputies executing a felony arrest warrant in Princeton, according to a notice posted by Collin County Government.
A Program Built to Show Residents How the Sheriff’s Office Works
The Citizens Academy is described in the sheriff’s update as a longstanding tradition of the Sheriff’s Office, giving residents a chance to understand the agency’s work, meet its employees, ask questions, and learn about how it functions. Class 30 had been scheduled to run from August through November, with detailed, hands-on presentations about the department’s operations and services. Instead, Skinner said the program is canceled this year, telling the community, “I am extremely disappointed to announce the cancellation of this year’s Collin County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy.”
Skinner said starting a new academy class without knowing whether it could be supported through completion would not be responsible, given the loss of the staffer who coordinated it. He said he hopes the Citizens Academy tradition and other community engagement services will be restored in the future, once the department’s staffing situation is resolved.
Sheriff Says He’s Been Left Without Answers
According to the sheriff’s statement, he sought clarification from the Commissioners Court about the operational impact of cutting the position, but has received no response regarding how public information requests, media inquiries, and community-facing services will be handled once the sergeant’s post disappears. Official Collin County job descriptions define the Public Affairs Sergeant role as the agency’s primary spokesperson and community liaison, managing internal and external communications, media relations, crisis messaging, social media, and public presentations…