I attended and graduated from the Tx DPS Academy in 1979. I served as a Highway Patrol Trooper in Bandera for 22 years then promoted to Sergeant. As a Sergeant I had several assignments. In the San Antonio District, I was the Sergeant in charge of the District Accident reconstruction team. In Austin I served as Department armorer and firearms instructor for the DPS recruit school. I Served as a Sgt. in DPS for 9 years. Retired in 2010 with over 31 years of service. I was elected Sheriff of Bandera Co. in 2012 and have served for 11 years.
Our duty is to serve and protect the lives and property of the citizens and visitors to Bandera County. Manpower is a pressing issue. This has been an issue Since Covid and the School Shooting in Uvalde. The Manpower issue is related to Pay. I am working to bring our pay up to equity with the surrounding Counties. This will allow us to attract more qualified applicants. Being fully staffed allows us to better serve and protect Bandera County and its citizens.
The Three main concerns we here from citizens are Crime Rate, Drugs and Traffic. The citizens are concerned with Recent Murders in the County. We have investigated 5 Murders in 2023 and have arrested 4 suspects and have 1 fugitive. The Drug we see most is Meth and is usually linked to the other crimes in the County like burglary and theft. We also receive complaints about Speed & reckless drivers. DPS normally work traffic enforcement however our officers work these cases when detected. When we become fully staffed we will be able to spend more time on all these issues.
Decades of Law Enforcement experience allows me to address specific requirements for the county.
I have served in Leadership/Administration for multiple Law Enforcement and Military organizations overseeing hundreds of individuals and millions of dollars in budgets. I have proven success in personnel management, budgeting, logistics, fleet maintenance, and organization planning required for the modernization of the department in a rapidly changing county. Further, my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, 24,296 hours of Texas of Peace Officer Education, experience and training arms me with the tools to protect the community, lead the department, and ensure equal enforcement for all.
Most important is the rampant drug problem. Drug manufacture, delivery, and use is a catalyst for many other crimes including murder, assault, robbery, theft, and burglary. When we eliminate the criminal drug problem, we reduce associated person and property crimes. I will aggressively seek out and eradicate the drug element by immediately establishing a Counter-Narcotics/Violent Crime Task Force with proactive Law Enforcement Officers who rapidly deploy, dismantle, and arrest the criminal drug networks. Working closely with Local, Multi-County, State, Federal Agencies and Criminal Prosecutors, we want to ensure these criminals are eliminated from our County.
Aside from the drug problem, citizens are concerned with lengthy Deputy response times and the lack of a visual presence in their community. Officer retention is also a significant issue. Deputies are often trained for patrol; once experienced they quickly depart for better pay/benefits. Finally, citizens are concerned about equipment age, functionality, and modernization stating that they often see Deputies without the proper equipment to effectively conduct their law enforcement duties. These issues can be solved by evaluating Department budgets to identify possible funding opportunities, and maximizing the use of State and Federal Grants for pay increases/equipment upgrades.
