Elon Musk's SpaceX is taking law enforcement into its own hands with the establishment of a police department in Starbase, Texas. The city's commission approved an ordinance during a special meeting, pending approval from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). The department will be led by a chief of police elected by the commission and is expected to hire eight officers. Starbase, a company town where SpaceX manufactures and tests its Starship rocket prototypes, is geographically isolated, with the nearest town, Brownsville, about 10 miles away. This move comes as a response to the challenges faced in contracting with the Cameron County sheriff's office for law enforcement services. Initially, Starbase attempted to manage law enforcement through a $3.5 million, five-year contract with the sheriff's office, but the arrangement proved unsuccessful due to various factors, including the lack of civil service protections. The city's administrator, Kent Myers, emphasized the need to protect SpaceX's assets, which are crucial to the company's operations. The police department is the latest in a series of public services established in Starbase, including a volunteer fire department and a fire marshal position, as the city continues to develop and grow.
