The Mission Police Department is working to fill vacancies, Chief Cesar Torres said.

According to Torres, the city had about a dozen spots to fill in the last four months, but that number has since gone down.

Channel 5 News reached out to the city of Mission and was told by a city spokesperson that there are currently four vacancies after nine officers left and four others were promoted, causing a vacancy of 13 officers in August 2025.

Torres said the nine officers who departed left for other higher-paying law enforcement agencies such as the Texas Department of Public Safety or U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

In a statement from the city, a spokesperson said public safety had “never been compromised" during the vacancies.

The statement added that the recent personnel changes and departures were a combination of promotions, and recruitment by state and federal agencies, something that's seen nationwide.

Read the statement in full below: 

"The Mission Police Department and public safety in the City of Mission have never been compromised. While there have been recent personnel changes—as is common in law enforcement agencies nationwide—these departures are primarily due to career advancement opportunities, promotions, and recruitment by state and federal agencies, which have significantly increased hiring efforts across the country. As of Thursday, December 18th, the Mission Police Department has 4 active vacancies for officers. 

The City has not lost officers due to a lack of overtime availability or overtime pay. Overtime policies remain in place and are managed responsibly to ensure both fiscal accountability and operational effectiveness. At no time has overtime policy impacted the Mission Police Department’s ability to serve the community.

The Mission Police Department is staffed accordingly, well-equipped, and fully capable of handling all operations. The safety of our residents remains our top priority, and the department continues to respond effectively to all calls for service. The Mission Police Department has steadily shown a reduction in crime. We remain confident in the leadership, staffing levels, and professionalism of the Mission Police Department, and we will continue to ensure our community receives the high level of public safety service they expect and deserve."