1970's

1972: Royce Couch Becomes Eighth Chief of Police

Chief Royce Couch (no photo available) only served as the Chief of Police in New Braunfels one year, but it happened to be during the Flood of 1972, which killed 15 people and did approximately $15-million in damages, according to the May 13, 1972 edition of the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.
1972 Guadalupe Flood 2 - floodsafety - small

1972: Flood Ravages New Braunfels



RIGHT: Damaged property outside of a home on Union Avenue.
1972 Flood Damage 2 - small
1972 Flood Damage 3 - small


LEFT:  Damaged trees near the I-35 Bridge over the Guadalupe River.


RIGHT:  Flood damage at the intersection of East Edgewater Terrace and Houston Avenue.
1972 Flood Damage - small

1973: New Braunfels…Then and Now

Loop 337 in 1973 - small
LEFT:  600 Block of Loop 337 looking North in 1973 
Loop 337 in 2016
LEFT:  600 Block of Loop 337 looking North in 2016 

1973: Patrolling New Braunfels

Patrol Cars 1973
ABOVE: A Texas DPS Trooper investigates after two NBPD squad cars were involved in a minor accident on W. San Antonio St. @ Sycamore (at the entrance to the Gibson’s Department Store parking lot).



RIGHT:  (L-R): Ofc. Terry Scott, Ofc. Kevin Clayton, Ofc. “Bubba” Rutledge, Ofc. Gilbert Adana, Sgt. Domingo Herrera, & Det. Felix Roque
1973 officers - small

1974: Burney C. Boeck Becomes Ninth Chief of Police

NBPD in 1974
ABOVE:  Chief Burney Boeck (middle row, second from far right) stands with the entire staff of the New Braunfels Police Department in this photo from 1974. Chief Boeck holds the record for being the longest serving Chief of Police.  He retired after serving 17 years as the head law enforcement officer in the city.  

1974: Typical NBPD Patrol Squad

1974 squad

LEFT:  A typical NBPD Patrol Squad in the mid-1970’s consisted of a Sergeant (in the white hat) and three Patrol Officers.  

 Pictured (L-R): Officer Pat Smith, Officer John Wommack, Officer Lester Jones, and Sgt. Jimmy Castillo

1974: NBPD Moves Headquarters to 111 West Garden Street

111 West Garden Building
ABOVE: Dedicated in 1974, the NBPD Headquarters (and Civil Defense Emergency Operating Center) was located at 111 W. Garden Street inside a renovated car dealership building.  The headquarters remained in this building until NBPD moved to its current location on S. Seguin Ave. in 1998.
BELOW:  The dedication plaque for the Garden Street headquarters currently hangs on a wall outside the office of the Chief of Police.
Garden Street Dedication plaque

1975: NBPD Group Photograph

NBPD in 1975
ABOVE: Taken in front of the Garden Street NBPD Headquarters. Chief Burney C. Boeck is seated just left of center in the front row.

1976: Downtown Parking Meters

NBU Building - 1960
ABOVE: Parking Meters, like the ones seen here in front of the New Braunfels Utilities building,  were installed in downtown New Braunfels in 1946 and they continued to operate until 1988 when all 400 of the meters were removed.

RIGHT:  Sgt. Domingo Herrera places a bag over a San Antonio St. parking meter declaring that automobiles will not be permitted to park along the parade route for the Comal County Fair Parade the next day.
Parking Meter - 1976

1979: Specialized Firearms Training

Firearm Training 1979 - 2
Firearm Training 1979 - 1
Patrolman Kevin Stevens (above) and Detective Jim Bunton (left) practice new firearm techniques at the firing range.  The new techniques were taught by Patrolman Kevin Clayton (not pictured), who had recently completed a firearms training course in Austin.  This scenario had officers first shooting from a moving police car, then stopping and using the car to shield them from shots fired from various positions.