Starbase, the company town developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX in South Texas, has approved an ordinance to establish its own municipal police department.
The city’s commission passed the measure during a special meeting on Tuesday, according to local news outlet Valley Central. The department requires approval from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) to operate. It will be led by a chief of police selected by the commission and plans to hire eight officers. Local reports indicate the force could become operational within a few months.
Starbase city administrator Kent Myers explained the need for the department. “There is a lot of assets here with the operations of SpaceX,” Myers told Valley Central. “Those assets need to be protected, and so the police department will play a critical part in protecting those assets.”
It remains unclear whether Starbase has submitted its application to TCOLE. Neither the city nor TCOLE responded to requests for comment. The city has engaged security consulting firm Vision Quest Solutions to assist in developing the department.
Starbase serves as the primary site for SpaceX to manufacture and test its prototype Starship rocket. The city has a population of a few hundred residents, most of whom are SpaceX employees or their family members. It sits in geographic isolation, with the nearest town, Brownsville, located about 10 miles away. The drive to Brownsville often takes 45 minutes or longer.
This police department marks the latest expansion of public services in Starbase since its incorporation as a city last year. In October, a group of SpaceX employees residing in Starbase launched a volunteer fire department. Around the same time, the city established a fire marshal position and assumed responsibility for its own building inspections and permitting processes.
Prior to these developments, Starbase relied on contracted law enforcement from the Cameron County sheriff’s office. The city entered a $3.5 million, five-year agreement that provided two deputies on patrol at any given time, supported by eight deputies overall assigned to the detail.
