The celebration of the official naming of Travis County’s Keith GeorgeRuiz Building, which will serve as the main headquarters and CentralCommand for the Sheriff’s Office has been in the planning stages for thelast six months, according to planning committee members. Beginning at 1 p.m. on Oct. 19, the Sheriff’s Office and the Fire Marshal’sOffice will open to the public for an afternoon of events to remember DeputyRuiz and his commitment to the Sheriff’s Office. At 2 p.m., the ceremony will include a welcome from Sheriff Greg Hamilton,remarks from Commissioner Margaret Gomez, and Ruiz’ wife,Bernadette Ruiz. Colors will be posted by the HonorGuard and the Honor Choir will sing “AmazingGrace.” Following remarks by Ruiz’ fellow SWAT of-ficers, there will be a tribute from TCSO Bag-

Fall2007

Volume 3,Issue 1

A publication for the employees of Travis County Sheriff’s Office

Deputy Keith G. Ruiz

County building dedicationto honor Ruiz’ contributions

By Carrie FortnerCommunity Liaison

See RUIZ,Page 7

Sheriff Hamilton’sSpotlight Respecting each others’ differences

leads to better community service

For the Travis County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO), to embrace diversity is much more than just to accept there are differences in people and their cultures; it is“using our differences to enhance our service to and withthe community by respecting each individual.” This valuewas developed and adopted under the guidance of formerSheriff Margo Frasier and has been put into action throughthe current administration with the “Building Bridges: Brickby Brick” project. Building a bridge brick by brick in realityis connecting each piece to become one, thus workingtogether for a common goal – respecting and acceptingone another. Through several workshops and town hallmeetings, our agency, as well as other law enforcementagencies and community groups have worked closely toimprove communication, develop and expand relationshipswith communities throughout Austin. Amy Mok, founder and CEO of the Asian American CulturalCenter (AACC), recently shared her thoughts at a TownHall meeting at the Center. She said it’s extremely beneficialfor folks in the Asian-American community to meet with thedifferent law enforcement officers. She stated thepresentation helped gain a better understanding about thedifferent roles each agency plays in the community. Somefolks in the audience are recent immigrants and they havedifferent impressions of law enforcement officers from the“old country,” some of which are associated with corruptionand abuse of power. The interaction with the officers helped attendees realizeofficers and their families are members of the community.Ms. Mok said“this country is a Land of the Law and the jobof the officers is to serve and protect people.” She hopesby providing more opportunities to network and connect atthe community and social level, folks will eventually buildtrust and cooperation with each other. Ms. Mok also saidthe Asian community is a very diverse community whichvaries in culture, religion, ideology and social convention.She believes it is important for officers to be open-minded,patient and to take time to understand folks who are fromthe East. It is important to remember we share the samehope and expectation — to have a safe community forfamilies to live and prosper. Ms. Mok thanked the differentagencies for making an effort to reach out to the Asian-American community.

On Sept. 24, we hosted a Ramadan Dinner with theMuslim community. There we embraced one another andgrew. It was during this evening I announced TCSO wouldopen our doors with the “Shadowing A Corrections Officer”program. First-line corrections officers will be partneredwith individuals to learn more about our neighboringcommunities. In return, the communities will learn moreabout TCSO Corrections. I am extremely excited aboutthis additional component to our agency. For many years,we have invited others to participate in patrol ride-alongs,but now we are moving one step closer to becoming a“transparent” agency, thus helping others understand ouragency and the criminal justice system. In closing, when we travel to a foreign country or even toa new city, there are many unknowns. Wemove within the streets withanticipation and excitement,but we are at times cautious;we want to enjoy ourselves,be safe, be welcomed andtreated fairly. With that said,when a person comes intocontact with lawenforcement, there islittle difference. Thisis why we mustembrace othersand employrespect.

2Sheriff Greg Hamilton

3

Editor Kelly PageManaging Editor Jeannie MaldonadoGeneral Reporter Josie MatthiasGraphic Designer Carrie Fortner

Thanks to these employees who contributedarticles, pictures and ideas.

Andrea BuckleyMajor Scott BurroughsCapt. Art CardenasLt. Richard GruetznerCapt. Peggy HillDeputy James KitchensDeputy Carl OlavesonRoger WadeChris WallaceOfficer Andrew Ybarra

LE staffincrease5

Marijuanaseizure 4

Multi-cultural awareness committee strives for awarenessBy Josie MatthiasGeneral Reporter

Commissaryquestions 7

C-TACprogress6

DispatcherAwards 13

SROs getnew unit10

Culture can be defined as a symbolicsystem of shared values, customs,beliefs and attitudes that shape andinfluence societal perception andbehavior. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office is a culture ofpersons that embraces diversity. Juaniki Stewart , Counseling & EducationCoordinator, established the TCSO Cultural Committee toprovide cultural activities for our employees while alsoshowing employee appreciation. The Culture Committeeseeks to create an atmosphere where diversity is shared,acknowledged and honored.

Mission To provide employees the opportunity to participate inactivities that will enhance cultural awareness, promote goodrelations and inspire better job performance.

History Sheriff Hamilton approved the Culture Committee and agroup of employees from different sections met initially inMarch 2007 to gauge interest in the project. The Committee

is comprised of Sheriff’s Officeemployees. Juaniki Stewart serves aschairperson.The committee is currently a small group

and they extend an invitation to all TCSO employees toparticipate and attend meetings. Meeting information will besent out via the TC Sheriff e-mail or contact JuanikiStewart or Jeannie Maldonado by e-mail for moreinformation. Committee members celebrated the first event this yearon Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) Committee members, alongwith Rudy’s Barbecue, made breakfast tacos for theemployees on TCCC “C” and “A” shifts and TCJ “A” shift.The officers /employees were quite surprised that they weregiving away FREE food! Ms. Stewart said, “they were veryappreciative!” Any fundraising will be in conjunction with county culturalevents. Other events will include: Black History Month, EasterEgg Hunt (employees and their children), recognition of TCSOVeterans and a variety of other activities. In November, the committee will show appreciation for ourTCSO Veterans. Event date and time will be sent out soon,so watch for upcoming information via your e-mail!

COBRAgraduates5

Academy’s25th 9

EmployeeProfile19

In this issue ...In this issue ... The Five Point PressThe Five Point Press

4

At 3:38 p.m. on Sept. 5,Deputy Brett Hellerudpulled over a Black 1996 ChevroletCamaro traveling faster thanthe flow of traffic northboundin the 7900 block ofInterstate 35 South. Thedeputy is part of a DrugInterdiction Unit and duringthe stop he observedevidence that lead him tobelieve the driver may havebeen involved in other illegalactivity. The driver gave thedeputy verbal consent tosearch the vehicle andduring the search a duffelbag was found in the carthat contained marijuana.The total weight of the marijuana found in the car was72.38 pounds.

TCSO seizes 72 pounds of marijuana during traffic stop The driver was identified asFrank Gabriel Martinez ofBrownsville. Mr. Martinez was

charged with possession ofmarijuana, Felony 2 and thebond was set at $35,000. The investigation revealedthat Martinez wastransporting the marijuanato Austin from Brownsvillefor another person, however,that person has not beenidentified. A female passenger andher 2- year-old child werereleased after theinvestigation revealed shewas not aware of themarijuana when they left

Brownsville. Her information was given to ChildProtective Services and she and the child were released.

National Night Out 2007 huge success with Travis County neighbors

By Roger WadePublic Information Officer

5

Senior Corrections Officer John Lopez is currently assignedto the Corrections Division, Complex Security at TCCC. He goes aboveand beyond in volunteering for the Explorer Program. The Explorer Pro-gram recruits kids who are in High School and prepares them for a ca-reer in law enforcement. Officer Lopez is an associate adviser withthe Explorer Program and dedicates his days off and puts in countlesshours to work with young kids.

Thanks!Sgt. E. Munoz

Dear Sheriff Hamilton ...

Law Enforcement Bureau to add 22 deputies during FYO8 On Sept. 6, Travis CountyCommissioners approved 23additional FTE’s for the LawEnforcement Bureau for FY08. Thefour-to-one vote (Commissioner Gerald Daugherty votingagainst) for additional staff was the result of more than18 months of work with the Court beginning with thedevelopment of a five-year strategic staffing plan duringthe summer and fall of 2006. The five-year plan, presented to the Court in January2007, used a variety of staffing models to demonstratethe Law Enforcement Bureau is understaffed by

COBRAGraduatesClass #44James AguirrevelaBrian AndersonBrandon BellOlaf ChoateRobert ForadorayDerrick LattimoreRandy Lee-RobertsLeon LopezJason LueraSal MartinezEric PerezRandy ReedEzekiel RobinsonSteven SmithShawndel TuckerLeonardo Zambito

approximately 63 deputies; and thedeficit would increase more than50 percent by 2011, if the Courtdid not take immediate action to

address the shortages. Law Enforcement Command staff,working with the Sheriff’s Office Planning and ResearchOffice, developed a staffing proposal that would addapproximately 98 additional deputies between FY08 andFY11 to deal with historical shortages and bring staffinglevels more in line with other suburban law enforcementagencies. According to FBI data, the average staffing ratio forsuburban law enforcement agencies is about 1.8 swornofficers for every 1,000 citizens served. The staffing ratiofor the Sheriff’s Office fell to 1.34 in 2007. The five-yearplan targets a staffing ratio of 1.75 officers per 1,000citizens by 2011, as compared to APD’s target of 2.0/1,000. With the addition of 22 deputies in 2008, the

staffing ratio for the Sheriff’s Office will increase to 1.5/1,000 by next September. Although the addition of 23 FTE’s (17 patrol officers,two detectives, three patrol sergeants, and onetelecommunications supervisor) in 2008 is a good start,there is still much to be done during the next four years.Work has already begun on the 2009 budget where an

additional 20 sworn and nine support positions (12 patrolofficers, three special operations officers, two detectives,three sergeants, two crime lab specialists, and sevendispatchers) will be sought. Until then the exceptionalmen and women of the Law Enforcement Bureau willcontinue to provide some of the best law enforcementservice in the country, despite critical staff shortages.

By Major Scott BurroughsLaw Enforcement Bureau

Corrections Tactical Unit making great improvementsBy Capt. Art Cardenas

Corrections Bureau

Dear Sheriff Hamilton ... On behalf of the Windermere Homeowners Association, we would like tothank you and the Sheriff’s Office staff for attending the WHA Town HallMeeting July 24. A special thank you to Capt. Art Cardenas andDeputy James Kitchens for organizing such a successful event. It istruly a success to see so many homeowners and officers working togetherto make a better community. I believe we are one step closer in makingthat happen with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office help. As you stated, it takes neighbors working together to make a communitywhole. We would like support of your “Building Bridges: Brick by Brick”program. Please contact us anytime. Once again, our sincere appreciationand gratitude for your time and support.

Sincerely,Earl Welborn,

Windermere HOA President

See C-TAC,Page 12

6

In March 2005, a national commission wasformed to study the safety of America’sprisons and jails. After a year-long inquiry,the Commission on Safety and Abuse inAmerica’s Prisons (CSAAP) published “ConfrontingConfinement” (June 2006), which made the following statement: “We all bear the responsibility for creating the correctionalinstitutions that are safe, humane, and productive.” At TCSO, maintaining safe and secure correctional facilitiesare at the forefront of the agency’s missions. With this missionin mind, Sheriff Hamilton sanctioned the creation of a CorrectionsBureau Tactical Unit whose utmost mission is to maintain andenhance the security of the department’s correctional facilities.The idea of having such a unit wasone which had been thought aboutand discussed in years past. Indeed,many of thelarge jails andcorrectionalcomplexesthroughoutthe nation andstate havespecializedtactical units,

which aretrained torespond toinmate riots,high-risk cellextract ions,h o s t a g esituations and amyriad of othercritical incidentswhich are

inherent in the corrections discipline. In 2005, the TCSO C-TAC Unitbegan its formation. Interested staffmembers were required to pass aseries of tests, including physicalfitness, weapons proficiency andmore, in order to become membersof the unit. C-TAC supervisory staffwere also required to pass these

same tests. Today, the unit has developedby leaps and bounds and consists of 24officers (broken up into four teams)serving the needs of the department’s

C-TAC SupervisorsCapt. Art CardenasLt. Michael Gottner

Sgt. Anthony ArandaSgt. Alex Leo

Sgt. Edward WalkerSgt. Ramiro QuirogaSgt. Raul QuirogaSgt. Mark Hardin

7

pipes, Austin Police Department Bagpipes and MountedHonor Guard (Caparisoned). Following the ceremony, there will be a tour of thebuilding and light refreshments will be provided. Each county employee will receive an invitation withtheir October payroll and special invitations have beensent to citizens throughout Travis County.

RUIZ, continued from Page 1

My husband, Deputy David Carroll, was involved in theincident that occurred on March 22, and ended on Highway 21in Bastrop County. Dave called me in the wee hours of themorning following this incident to tell me he was allright andthat he had been involved in a gun fight. As the spouse of alaw enforcement officer, I know this is the type of news (orworse) that I could receive at any time. I am just thankful Daveis alive and was able to call me himself. Dave and I have never kidded ourselves about the dangers ofhis profession, yet when he leaves for work, I am not worried.There are two reasons I can sleep through the night while myhusband patrols the streets: the first is the confidence I havein Dave’s abilities as a law enforcement officer, and thesecond is the confidence I have in the officers who work withhim. The bravery and professionalism evidenced by all theofficers who responded to this incident, confirms the confi-dence I have in all of them. As a spouse of one of your commissioned officers, I amgreatly appreciative of the ethical, professional and qualityagency that you lead.

Sincerely,Jennifer Carroll

Dear Sheriff Hamilton ...

A world without Commissary staff and operations? Did you know ... Travis County inmatespurchase thousands of commissary itemseach week? It’s no easy or simple task fillingthese orders. Did you know ... every day the Commissary staff worksdiligently to ensure the inmates get their commissary ordersfilled and delivered on time and as accurately as possible?This attention to detail makes all corrections officers’ jobseasier by keeping the inmates happy. Did you know ... the Commissary Staff works from theearly morning hours and stays until the orders for each buildingare filled and delivered on their designated commissary dayregardless of the number of hours it takes?

Did you know ... theCommissary provides funding formany of the needed supplies for ourinmates, such as uniforms,

recreation equipment and inmate programs? This goes along way when we make budget requests each year. Did you know ... commissary income also pays thesalaries for our commissary staff, chaplains and contractchaplains, as well as for the fiscal clerk who handles theinmate funds? Again, this sure helps during the budgetprocess! Did you know ... the Commissary profits each monthare on average about $50-$60,000? That’s a lot of candy andchips being bagged! Did you know ... the Commissary Staff are one of, ifnot the hardest working team, we have at Del Valle? If youdon’t believe it – try working a day with them! Did you know ... the next time you see the Commissarystaff, you should thank them for doing such an outstandingjob? Well, you should! Thanks Commissary staff…you do a great job!

By Capt. Peggy HillCorrections Bureau

Dear Sheriff Hamilton ... I would like to take this opportunity to express my sin-cere appreciation of Deputy James Kitchens for hisrecent law enforcement and community involvement pre-sentation for our Den 8 boys, related to their “CitizenAchievement” badge. The achievement is very detailedand could not be done without his help. Not only wasDeputy Kitchens very thorough, but he engaged theboys in a way that captured and held their attention formore than an hour. Speaking from experience, it is some-times very difficult (if not impossible) to keep 9- and 10-year-old boys’ attention and interest for very long, butDeputy Kitchens did it masterfully. He was very prepared and represented your office well.Thank you for providing this service to the community.We truly believe Travis County will find Deputy Kitch-ens’ educational and community outreach efforts to beof great benefit to these young citizens as they grow intoyoung men.

Respectfully,Tony Podbevsek

Pack 61 Cub Scouts, Southwest Austin

8

County’s Brown Santa gears up for 2007 seasonBrown Santa began in 1981 witha few Sheriff’s Office deputiesproviding a little extra help atChristmas to 25 families livingin the unincorporated areas ofTravis County. The program hasgrown into a community ser-vice of the Sheriff’s Office andcurrently serves approxi-mately 1,200 families. Each year, Brown Santagives Christmas gifts to everychild in the family betweenbirth and 16 years old. A com-plete Christmas dinner is alsoprovided for the family. Brown Santa also provides help for the residents at theWestern Trails Retirement Center. Each resident is pro-vided with a box of food and a gift card to HEB and Wal-Mart. Brown Santa is a non-profit organization that recieves do-nations of food, money and toys from the citizens of TravisCounty and businesses throughout the Austin metropolitanarea. Each year different businesses have fundraisers forBrown Santa, too. Last year, Central Texas Harley Davidson group held a

Bike Run that raised about $10,000 in cash, toys and foodfor the program. The Travis County Wellness Committee also sponsors anannual Brown Santa 5k Fun Run and Kids K. Last year, about350 people participated and the 5k donated about $5,000 toBrown Santa. Brown Santa places brown barrels in many different busi-nesses around town that are used as “drop off” points forcitizens to make their donations. The barrels are also placedin schools around Travis County. Classroom sometimes have

competitions to see who can bring themost canned goods. Brown Santa relies heavily volunteersand those interested may sign up the firstweek of November. Volunteers are neededthrough the delivery dates of the program.If you want to volunteer, please to gowww.tcsheriff.org/brownstanta and click on“volunteer.” Please remember the number of volun-teers we can have at once is limited bythe size of the building. Small groups andindividuals can sign up for two-hour incre-ments. Larger groups like Dell and AMDmay be able to volunteer as an entire work-day. Donations can be mailed to P. O. Box207, Austin, Texas, 78767-0207 or youcan donate on-line at www.tcsheriff.org/brownsanta. If you, or someone you know,needs help from Brown Santa, please call(512) 24-SANTA.

Brown Santa5k Run/Walk and Kids KSunday, Dec. 2, 2007Travis County Expo CenterPresented byTravis County Wellness Committeein association with RunTex University

Ariel Lind, daughterof JeannieMaldonado,executive assistantto Sheriff Hamilton,was recentlycrowned Homecom-ing Queen at AkinsHigh School. Hersister and Jeannie’solder daughter,Veronica Lind, wasrecently selected asa dancer on the Capital City Dance Team, which performs at allAustin Toros home games. She’s also one of Austin’s Ten MostPhenomenal Women where she’s been awarded the “Young Womenof Acheivement Award” and a $1,000 college scholarship through theYWCA of Greater Austin. Veronica is currently a sophomore at theUniversity of Texas. Ariel and Veronica are pictured here with Akins’Homecoming King, Raymond.

9

Training Academy progresseslight years in two decades

“From a Samsonite Briefcase ...”

By Carrie FortnerCommunity Liaison

The Travis County Sheriff’s OfficeTraining Academy recently re-ceived commendations from theTexas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Edu-cation (TCLEOSE); another reason for the Academy to celebrate since2007 marks its 25th Anniversary. “It’s amazing to think about where the Academy has come in 25years,” said Lt. Jamie Page, director for the Training Academy.“We started out in remote classrooms and each of us carryingSamsonite briefcases to conduct corrections, firearms and law en-forcement officer classes.” Before April 1982, when TCSO recieved accreditation from TCLEOSE,officers were sent to what is now known as the Capital Area Council ofGovernments (CAPCOG) regional training academy. Under former Sher-iff Doyne Bailey (1981-1992), the academy went from an in-serviceprovider to a full-service academy training its own troops. The Academy has been housed in several buildings during the past25 years, beginning on the fifth floor of the Travis County Courthousewith the law enforcement side under the direction of Lt. Steve Aaron and thenDeputy Jamie Page, and the corrections side under the direction of Lt. P. J.Johnson and then Deputy David Balagia. “Back then staff had to purchase their own uniforms so they were not manda-tory until after you received your first paycheck,” said Major David Balagia.“Normally new hires worked with veteran staff for about one week and then theywere on their own — two weeks if you were lucky.” From the county courthouse, the Academy moved to several locations —707 West 6th, the Palm School County Building on Interstate 35 and CesarChavez, 711 West 7th and the current location at the northeast corner of theTravis County Correctional Complex (TCCC) in Del Valle. At the beginning of former Sheriff “Terry” Keel’s administration (1992-1996),Travis County’s population and the Sheriff’s Office was growing by leaps andbounds. Keel believed it was necessary to provide training specifically to our ownofficers. In late Spring 1993, the doors opened to TCSO’s Training Academy adjacent tothe Del Valle facility where there is now a driving simulator and workout facility inLemuel Duncan Hall, as well as classrooms where in-service trainings are pro-vided for corrections, law enforcement, reserve deputies and supervisors, as wellas other classes. TCSO also welcomes officers from other law enforcement

See TRAINING,Page 15

Original TCLEOSE certificate issued toTCSO in April 1982.

TCSO Training Academy Dedication in April1982. From left, Deputy Jamie Page, SheriffDoyne Bailey and Lt. Steve Aaron.

We started out in remote classrooms

and each of us carrying Samsonite

briefcases to conduct corrections,

firearms and law enforcement officer

classes.

Lt. Jamie Page,Traning Academy Director

10

On behalf of the staff, volunteers and most impor-tantly, the children, thank you for providing the Aus-tin Children’s Shelter (ACS) with the proceeds from your recent 2007 Sheriff’s Shootout in the amount of $3,520.04.These funds will help ensure that abandoned, abused and neglected children of Central Texas will have an opportu-nity to thrive in a safe, nurturing environment. ACS continues to be a safe haven for children in crisis. Our mission, to provide emergency shelter, high qualitycare and hope for the future to the most vulnerable children of our community, has been furthered by your support.Thank you!

Gratefully,Gena VanOsselaer

Executive Director, Austin Children’s Shelter

Dear Sheriff Hamilton ...

The reorganization of the LawEnforcement Bureau in February 2007brought about something new and exciting.For the first time ever, all deputies who serveas school resource officers (SROs) were assigned to a singleunit with a sergeant whose sole mission was to supervise thatunit. Previous organizational configurations had includedsupervision by a sergeant responsible for multiple offline units;officers assigned to the different commands; or officers assignedto a patrol shift as additional personnel. The time had definitely come to form a new unit withsupervision dedicated to school resource officers. Sgt. Mike Canales currently supervises the unit, whichis comprised of 12 officers located in all four sectors of thecounty, serving five different independent school districts. Theofficers are assigned to at least eight primary locations, withadditional responsibilities for several ancillary locations. The unit is organized as part of West Command’s day shift,commanded by Lt. Richard Greutzner, with Capt. PhyllisClair having overall responsibility. Among the officers assigned to the unit are those with manyyears of law enforcement experience, often with numerousyears as school resource officers, as well as officerswho are brand new to the job and to the assignment. The first task faced by Sgt. Canales when hewas assigned as the SRO sergeant, was to weldtogether all the disparate parts into one cohesive unit

School Resource Officers: New direction for an old ideawith common operatingprocedures and direction. Eachschool district, often eachindividual school, had different

ideas about how “their” SRO should function, what rulesshould exist for the students, and how the SRO wouldenforce the laws. That would begin to change! As the spring semester came to a close, plans werein place to spend the summer training the members ofthe unit and developing new guidelines that would becommon to all schools. Realizing that the summer breakis often the only chance SROs have to take vacationsand that some schools would be open for summer school,a great deal of effort was put into scheduling the unit’ssummer training. Most of the officers were able to attend a SROconference in Corpus Christi. Roundtable discussionswere held during which the guidelines for a common

See SRO,Page 14

By Lt. Richard GruetznerWest Command

11

Longevity of ServiceAwards

25-Year AwardMary Jo Gilbert - Lieutenant, Watch Commander

20-Year AwardNancy Bartlett - Office Specialist Senior, Central Warrants; Su-san Bonilla - Senior Corrections Officer, TCCC; John Grayson- Senior Corrections Officer, Central Booking; Tracy G. Hill - 9-1-1Telecommunications Specialist, CTECC; Timothy Kingsley -Senior Certified Peace Officer, TCCC; Darren Long - Major, Ad-ministration; Dolores Lopez - Office Specialist Senior, CentralWarrants; Christopher Orton - Detective, Criminal Investigations;Robert Redpath - Senior Corrections Officer, TCCC; GeorgeSiddall - Senior Deputy Sheriff, Patrol; Iva Wesley - Senior Cer-tified Peace Officer, Central Booking

15-Year Award

10-Year AwardStephen Cornelius - Senior Certified Peace Officer, TCCC; PaulJennings - Senior Certified Peace Officer, Transportation; EricLucas - Senior Deputy, Patrol; Henry Maldonado - SeniorDeputy, School Resource Officer; Deborah Rich - Manager, Hu-man Resources; Ronald Sanders - Senior Certified Peace Of-ficer, TCCC; Brett Spicer - Senior Deputy, Lake Patrol; RonnieTaylor - Crime Scene Specialist, Warehouse/Property; MaryTemples - Senior Security Coordinator, Central Booking; TM Th-ompson - Senior Certified Peace Officer, TCCC; Stephen Town- Senior Certified Peace Officer, TCCC; Vincent Wade - SeniorCertified Peace Officer, TCCC; Alero Walker - Senior CorrectionsOfficer, TCCC; Mark Walker - Senior Corrections Officer, TCCC

Deputy UBI Reporting JP Morgan, the

American billionaire,bought the White StarLine in 1902, for hisInternational MercantileMarine Corp of New Jersey.The company took tenyears to build the Titanic.Therefore, even though shehad a British crew, Titanicwas technically anAmerican ship. Morganwas supposed to be onthe ship for its first andonly voyage, but had tocancel at the lastminute. He even hadhis own suite built onthe boat, a suite thatwent unused.

When commercial telephone service wasintroduced between New York and London in1927, the first three minutes of a call cost $75.00.

Ferdinand Porsche, who later went on to buildsports cars bearing his own name, designed theoriginal 1936 Volkswagen.

Heinrich W. Brandes made the first weathermap in 1815, based on data gathered in 1783.Brandes waited so long because it was the onlyway he could be certain the information wascorrect.

Scholars believe that the nursery rhyme“Humpty Dumpty” is more than 500 years old,and it was originally written to mock a noblemanwho fell from favor with England’s King RichardIII. Why the character is an egg has yet to beexplained.

Thirty gallons, or 135 litres, of water is usedfor the average shower in the United States.

More wool comes from the state of Texas thanany other state in the United States. EdwardsPlateau in west central Texas is the top sheepgrowing area in the country.

*Trivia from www.coolquiz.com

Bonnie Alcorn - Senior Corrections Officer, Fiscal-Supply;Michael Canales - Sergeant, Patrol; Darren Jennings - Se-nior Deputy, K-9; Diana Jones - Senior Security Coordinator, CJIS;Robert Lawson - Senior Deputy, Patrol; Michael Lee - SeniorDeputy, Patrol; Jimmy Lewis - Senior Certified Peace Officer,TCCC; Raymond Schwarzwalder - Senior Certified Peace Of-ficer - TCCC; Mike Summers - Director, Medical Services; DaroldTempleton - Senior Deputy, Traffic

Longevity of ServiceAwards

12

5-Year Award

RetirementDaniel Trevino - more than 24 years of serviceMichael Lee - more than 27 years of service

FBI AcademyScott Burroughs - Major, Law EnforcementDarren Long - Major, Administration & Support

Safe Driving AwardMichael Causey - Senior Corrections Officer, TCCC Facili-ties; George Hernandez - Senior Certified Peace Officer,TCCC Faciilities; James Hammack - Senior Certified PeaceOfficer, TCCC HSB

Community Service AwardMike Mancias - Deputy, TCCC-Training; Bucky Eacret -Lieutenant, Central Booking; Victor Moreno - Senior Certi-fied Peace Officer, Training Academy; Martin Shepherd -Senior Deputy, East Command

Thomas Eaton - Senior Certified Peace Officer, Central Com-mand Security; Jeffrey Haley - Senior Corrections Officer,TCCC; Walker Hancock - Mechanic, TCCC; WilfredHargraves - Chaplain, TCCC; Kasben Harris - Office Spe-cialist Senior, West Command; Mathew Henson - Correc-tions Officer, TCCC Complex Security; John Hoffman - Se-nior Corrections Officer, TCCC Complex Security; Huey Kehl- Senior Corrections Officer, TCCC; Nelson Kovatch - Build-ing Maintenance Worker, TCCC; Cordine McMurray - Se-nior Certified Peace Officer, TCCC; Gregory Mitchum - Se-nior Certified Peace Officer, TCCC Complex Security; PatriciaRichard - LVN, HSB Medical; Jared Scott - Security Coor-dinator, TCCC HSB; Brian Thibodeaux - Senior CorrectionsOfficer, TCCC; James Thomas - Senior Corrections Officer,TCCC HSB; Mark Walters - Senior Corrections Officer, TCCCSecurity; James Yarbrough - Senior Certified Peace Officer,TCCC

C-TAC, continued from Page 6

correctional facilities on a 24/7 basis. C-TAC membersreceive specialized training in the disciplines of weaponsproficiency, riot control, hostage rescue, inmate escapeprevention, and high-risk cell extraction. And while theseofficers are equipped with specialized protective gearand intermediate weaponry, they still rely on their trainingto resolve any situation that may arise. The members of this unit are required to maintaintheir physical fitness standard and weapons proficiencythroughout the entire year. The benefits of this unit arebecoming more and more evident as time progresses.Staff and supervisors report that inmate disturbancesare diminished as a result of the presence of theseofficers. The C-TAC officers work collaboratively withthe building security officers to maintain the security ofthe facilities and respond in an “assistance mode”whenever called. The unit has been a source of pridefor not only for the Corrections Bureau, but also theentire department and community as a whole. Special thanks should be given to Sheriff GregHamilton, Chief Jim Sylvester and MajorDavid Balagia for their support of the unit. Anadditional special thanks should be given to Sgt. JerryKovar, who was very instrumental in the earlydevelopment of the C-TAC Unit.

TCSO Awards Ceremony On Oct. 25, TCSO will celebrate its 27th AnnualAwards’ Ceremony at the Texas Disposal SystemsExotic Game Ranch and Pavilion. Many employeeswill be recognized for contributions to Travis Countyand TCSO. All are invited to attend. A social hourand fajita dinner will begin at 6 p.m. The AwardsCeremony will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 perperson and may be purchased at the door, or inadvance from the following:

Cathy Jonse (Ruiz Bldg.)Pat Hill (TCCC Administration)Elizabeth Saldana (CTECC)

Bonnie Alcorn (Supply)Elizabeth Grubb (TCCC Medical)

Karen Tweedy (TCJ/CBF)Lori Driver (East Command)

Kasben Harris (West Command) The Texas Disposal Systems Exotic Game Ranchand Pavilion is at 12200 Carl Road, near FM 1327and Interstate 35 South. For more specific directions,please see www.texasdisposal.com.

13

Promotional AwardsOfficers to be DeputizedCharles Roberts - Senior Corrections Officer, TCCC FoodServices; Angelena Carrizales - 9-1-1 Telecommunica-tions Specialist, CTECC

Promotion to Senior DeputyAlfred Emens - Deputy, East Command; Jeff Smith -Deputy, West Command

Brian Brazzil - Cadet Corrections Officer, TCJ; BenjaminCastruita - Cadet Corrections Officer, TCCC; Greg Coo-per - Cadet Corrections Officer, TCCC; Edgardo Gaitan- Corrections Officer, TCJ; Luis R. Garcia - CorrectionsOfficer, TCCC; Jason Hufstetle - Senior Certified Peace

Officer, TCCC; Matthew Kotara - Cadet Cor-rections Officer, TCCC; Charles Lueg - CadetCorrections Officer - TCCC; William New - Cor-rections Officer, TCCC Complex Security; MattRyden - Cadet Corrections Officer, TCCC Com-plex Security

Promotion to Corrections OfficerBryan Funderburgh - Cadet Corrections Officer,TCCC; Philip Gero - Cadet Corrections Officer,TCCC; Brian Hebert - Cadet Corrections Officer,TCJ; Johanna Kemp - Cadet Corrections Of-ficer, TCCC; Anthony Longoria - CorrectionsOfficer, TCJ; Salvador Martinez - Cadet Cor-rections Officer, TCCC; Robert Santos - Correc-tions Officer, TCCC HSB; Gregory Sizemore -Corrections Officer, TCCC HSB

TCSO dispatchers receive top honors from CAPCOG On Sept. 11, 2007, Annual 9-1-1Day, the Capital Area Council ofGovernments (CAPCOG) held anAward Ceremony at the State Capitolto honor outstanding Telecommunications Specialistswithin our region. Two members of our TCSOCommunications Team were recognized for theirachievements.

Senior Telecommunications 9-1-1 Specialist Jo-Anna Lylesreceived a Dedicated Serviceaward.

This award is presented to “individualtelecommunicators in recognition of exceptionalprofessionalism in the field of emergencycommunications, and acknowledges the specialcontributions of those telecommunicators whose dailyperformance is an inspiration and example to others.” Jo-Anna joined TCSO in September 2004. Herstrong work ethic, dedication and ability to work wellwith others are an inspiration to us all.Senior 9-1-1 Telecommunications Specialist KendraO’Cayce received the Award for Emergency, a stand-off with officers for more than three hours. At 6:22pm on Dec. 26,2006, the Sheriff’s Officereceived a call from a female who stated that herhusband was causing a disturbance, intoxicated and

By Chris WallaceManager, Dispatch

See 9-1-1,Page 20Kendra O’Cayce

and Jo-Anna Lyles

Promotion to Sr. Corrections Officer

14

I am writing to commend the effort and diligence of Senior Deputy Santiago Salazar in assisting me infinding my Angus Bull. Due to my mother’s poor health, I had to go out of town on July 31. I hired someone to look after my livestock andranch while I was gone. Eight days after my departure I learned that my bull was missing. Your organization wasnotified at the same time. Eight days is a long time for a roving animal to be absent without notice. Even so,Deputy Salazar commenced a search, knocking on doors, scanning fields, and I’m sure, doing whatever neces-sary to locate my animal. At the same time, from a distance, I began notifying my neighbors. This morning (Aug. 30), as I was returning with coffee to my ranch, who should be walking down one of ourcountry roads toward my pickup, but my bull. I learned that Deputy Salazar had also not given up the search.He spent time on horseback searching the outlying fields looking for some sign of him. Today, he helped merecover him. I believe that Deputy Salazar’s presence made the recovery that much eaiser. While it is odd thatone at all saw my bull during these 30 days, there is no doubt that with Deputy Salazar’s very noticeablepresence undertaking such a search, and his encouragement that I also not give up, my bull would not be back inmy possession today. I have a number of family members in Ohio, New Mexico and Wisconsin who are law officers. I am very aware ofthe number of cases that must be investigated and the unknown dangers y’all face every single day never knowingwhat might occur. Thank you’s are never enough. You all have my sincere respect and admiration for the jobs youdo. For this particular case, I want to go on record acknowledging Deputy Salazar’s efforts and providing an verywarm thank you with deep appreciation to Deputy Salazar for his continued assistance.

Sincerely,Jodie Slifka

Dear Sheriff Hamilton ...

SRO, continued from Page 10

operating procedure in all schools were developed.Intensive, in-depth training was given on the use andcapabilities of the various computer programs used bythe officers. The individual officers were given theopportunity to spend several weeks working with variousoff-line units such as CID, the Family Violence Unitand the Crime Suppression Unit. Standardized classroom presentations were createdwhich each SRO can use in his school on such topicsas alcohol/drug awareness and cooperating with lawenforcement. Behind the scenes, talks were held withthe various school administrations in an effort toovercome obstacles and to achieve a better partnershipwith the schools. As the new school year begins, the officers are backin their assigned schools. Incidents they maneuver ona daily basis include minor incidents such as disruptionof classes — to drug possession, to serious offensessuch as sexual assaults. Each officer is, in effect, thepolice department of a small town. With studentpopulations reaching multiple thousands, officers haveto handle all types of incidents and often conduct theirown investigations.

To students,parents andteachers alike,the SRO is theface of theSheriff’s Office.The positiveeffect they haveon thec o m m u n i t yextends waybeyond thepeople directlyinvolved in anyone incident. This fact wasr e c e n t l yrecognized bySheriff Hamiltonat a meeting

this summer when he awarded all the members of the unit achallenge coin. He thanked the unit for the job they weredoing and expressed his support of their efforts.

To students, parents and teachers

alike, the SRO is the face of the Sheriff ’s

Office. The positive effect they have on

the community extends way beyond the

people directly involved in any one

incident..

Lt. Richard Gruetzner,West Command

15

agencies to partcipate in courses. The Academy now averages 100,000 contact hours peryear, servicing 7,300 students. “Our mandatory continuing education training standardsare twice the state standards for law enforcemment,” Pagesaid. Even more strides have been made to provide full-ser-vice training to TCSO officers for them to maintain weap-ons qualification. “Believe it or not, TCSO officers started out qualifying atAustin Police Department’s (APD) original range inRollingwood. They required TCSO to provide our ownammunition andsince there wasno budget for am-munition, Capt.Earnest Odomreloaded usedAPD shell cas-ings,” said Lt.Page, using hisMarine Corps ex-perience, served

as Range Master. “Weonly had 25 law enforce-ment officers who had toqualify back then. Thankfully, Capt. Odom later found budget-i n g for the ammunition.”

Through the years other arrangements have been madewith the Federal Corrections Institute - Bastrop facility,as well as San Marcos and Camp Swift, for Range use. Now, TCSO has a master-planned, state-of-the-artRange in the construction phase at the northwest cor-ner of the TCCC property (old CORE complex). In themeantime, the Academy takes the motor home to FCIonce a week. Additionally, arrangements are beingmade for officers to use the Texas Department ofPublic Safety (DPS) multi-million dollar facility inFlorence, next year. “The new Range will be a ‘Green Range,’ mean-ing all ammunition is environmentally sensitive.The material in ammuntion will be lead-free andnon-metallic,” he said. “The conical materialspreads upon contact to the metal backstop withmuch less cleanup than traditional ammuni-tion.”

Plans for the range’s completion is planned for sometime in 2008.

TRAINING, continued from Page 9

?????Do you knowthese officers

See Page 18 for the names of the officersin the PR-24 Side Handle Baton Class in 1984!

Next month, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office will have anew, updated website. The TCSO website will still be named www.tcsheriff.org butwill feature expanded content, dynamic features, a streamlineddesign with a user-friendly interface. The information on thenew website will feature the various units, bureaus andfunctions of the Sheriff’s Office employees and the variedduties they perform. In addition, information the publicrequests frequently will be highlighted prominently to helpTCSO operations run more efficiently. A new Citizen Survey will allow county residents to send theSheriff feedback on interactions with officers and employees.The tcsheriff.org website will be a valuable tool to educate,communicate and interact with the public. If you have any comments or suggestions on the new designand information, please contact Andrea Buckley (854-7786or andrea.buckley@co.travis.tx.us) or Carrie Fortner (854-6615 or carrie.fortner@co.travis.tx.us) in Community Outreachand Services.

TCSO’s expanded, redesignedweb site debuts in October

Believe it or not, TCSO officers startedqualifying at APD’s original range inRollingwood. Since there was no budgetfor ammunition, Capt. Odom reloadedused APD shell casings.

Lt. Jamie Page,Traning Academy Director

16

Tabitha Rose Briceno was born to Benjaminand Florence Briceno on Aug. 10. Flo-rence is an executive associate in the RuizBuilding for Chief Jim Sylvester.

New Additions to TCSO ...

Crossing borders with Spanish Immersion training I recently had an opportunity to tagalong with the Austin Police Departmenton their Spanish Immersion Training.This program sends officers withminimal Spanish language abilities and drops them in theheart of Coahuila, Mexico. While this was the eighth trip forcourse coordinator Officer Joe Munoz, it was the first time amember of another agency was invited to attend. In additionto patrol officers, our group included a lieutenant, Cold Casedetective, and Victims’ Assistance counselor. Some of usspoke a little Spanish and others could not even ask a name. The seven-day course includes one day each way travelingto and from Saltillo. Thirteen of us squeezed into a van and

a patrol car for the drive to Eagle Passwhere our Mexican hosts,officers from PolicíaEstatal de Coahuila, metus. Once across theborder in PiedrasNegras, the CoahuilaState Police transferredus into a Suburban andseveral marked unitsfor the drive to Saltillo.The District Commandproudly pointed outhow nice their new

cars looked with the retired light barsdonated by APD. Once there, the StatePolice barracks at headquarters becameour temporary home.

I was surprised to learn Mexican police officers are onlypermitted to carry weapons while on duty. Before and after eachshift, they line up at the Armory to receive or return their weapons.It’s amazing to think that these officers are considered wellequipped while members of their SWAT team use AA Mini Maglight for tactical lights. They work 12-hour shifts, six days aweek for only $800 a month, but these officers pride themselveson cleaning up their state to avoid the crime issues plaguingtheir neighboring states. Carlos Melgoza, our Spanish language instructor, also teachesMexican cadets English. He forced us into brain overload eachday. We were motivated to learn because our hosts only spokeSpanish. We quickly learned how to tell our driver where to goand buy a soda in Spanish. This also made the course veryinteractive. We were all amazed by our performance on the test at theend of the trip. Officers whose language skills were limited toordering Tex-Mex foods were able to understand a suspectvehicle description and interview an attempted sexual assaultvictim in Spanish. What I learned in that week about the Spanishlanguage and Mexican culture has already helped me to bettercommunicate with the Mexican immigrant population here inTravis County.

By Sr. Deputy Carl OlavesonWest Command

Coahuila Commander Hugo Sandoval and Sr. Deputy Carl Olaveson

~~

17

K-9 unit entertainsPease students

On Aug. 24, the TCSO Community OutreachUnit helped welcome students from PeaseElementary back to school at the school’sannual Back-to-School Picnic. Members of the K-9 Unit attended anddemonstrated to the children and their familieshow the dogs help deputies apprehend suspectsand obey commands given to them by theirhandlers. “The dogs were the hit of our picnic,” saidGabriella Brice, Pease Elementary Parent-Teacher Association president. “This year’sBack-To-School Picnic was the best one everthanks to the K-9 officers.” Community Liaisons Andrea Buckley andCarrie Fortner also presented informationto parents and students on TCSO’s new bullyingprevention program called SAVE (StudentsAgainst Violence Everywhere), along withStranger Danger and general safety tips.

By Andrea BuckleyCommunity Liaison

Dear Major Ballagia ... The employees of the Travis County Criminal Justice Planning wouldlike to take the opportunity to recognize Lt. Laura Vallejo. OnMay 22, Lt. Vallejo conducted a tour of Central Booking and the TravisCounty Correctional Complex for the staff of our department, whichafforded us the perfect opportunity to not only view the facilities atbooking and the jail, but to observe the daily activities and to askquestions of your staff. Lt. Vallejo took an entire afternoon away from her duties andbusy schedule to tour facilities with us and answer any and all of ourquestions. She was very professional and organized, as well as pa-tient, with our group. If she did not have an answer for one of us ourquestions, she made it a point to seek out another staff member whodid. Lt. Vallejo is very knowledgeable about the operations of bothlocations, and obviously takes great pride in her work. We appreciate the time and energy that Lt. Vallejo put into travisCounty Criminal Justice Planning’s tour of Central Booking and theDel Valle jail. Since one of our professional goals at Criminal JusticePlanning is to become more familiar with the different criminal justicepartners in the community, this experience was enlightening and in-formative for us all.

Thank you,Cynthia Finnegan, Senior Planner Mary Moran, OWD AdministratorMarco Gutierrez, Planner Erin Nelson, Research SpecialistCathy McClaugherty, Planner

Hays County Sheriff’s Office hosted their very first Standard FieldSobriety Testing (SFST) Practitioner Course that included a liveAlcohol Workshop. The course was hosted by Hays CountySheriff’s Academy, but it could not have been done without thehelp of instructors from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. Capt. Mark Sawa was able to secure three deputies fromthe DWI Unit -- Deputies Belinda Lorenz, Juan Arispeand Anthony Sampson. These officers put on a very in-depth course that offered much more than just the basic man-dated curriculum. The course consisted of several hours of classroom instruction andseveral hours of practical application. Officers from Hays County SO and Luling Police Department partici-pated in the 24-hour course and all gave rave reviews.

TCSO assists Hays County SOwith field sobriety training

Sr. Deputy David Deasonand his partner, Rico, pose with a

Pease Elementary student.

18

Det. Demetrie Mitchell, assigned to the Child Abuse Unit, isbeing recognized by the Child Protection Team as the CPT TeamMember of the Year. This is a big honor as the CPT is comprised ofall local law enforcement, Child Protective Services workers, Cen-ter for Child Protection (CCP) workers and other entities in theTravis County area. Det. Mitchell is a committed and tirelesschild advocate. He unselfishly volunteers to take on last-minutecrisis cases that arise unexpectedly. He has a great rapport withother law enforcement agencies, CPS and CCP Child Advocatesand uses his rapport daily to expedite the completion of a case.Det. Mitchell has been in the unit for three years and still main-tains the tenacity necessary for the completion of assignmentsgiven him and the ones he takes on his initiative. His work qualityis unsurpassed by and detective I have ever met. It gives me greatpleasure to recommend him for this honor.

Sgt. Bryce MillerSpecial Crimes

Dear Sheriff Hamilton ... Did you knowthe officers?

TCSO Training Academy, PR24 Side-Handle Baton Class, 1984:Front row, kneeling: JoseEscribano, Don Johnson, DanRuggles (retired), unknown, StanHibbs, Don Nelson, MorganThomson and Danny Voights.Back row, standing: Jamie Page,Darold Templeton, unknown,Scott Burroughs, RaulQuintero, unknown, unknown, TerryPickering, Mark Hardin and GaryIrwin.

Russell Clay, staying at the veteranshospital in Temple to “get back on hisfeet,” found it inspiring that some Aus-tin Boy Scouts and the Travis CountySheriff’s Office took time out of their Sunday to feed and en-tertain the vets at the hospital. “The veterans already served us, so it’s the least we coulddo,” said Matthew Leary, a boy scout and senior at PflugervilleHigh School. Clay, a Marine Corps infantryman from 1979 to 1983, has en-rolled in a vocational rehabilitation program at the hospital. Heknows all too well that military veterans like him sometimes fallon hard times after their service has ended. He wasgrateful for the help of Boy Scout Troop 8787. “It’s wonderful that there are still people in thiscountry who still support veterans,” Clay said. Scoutmaster Jim Sylvester said the Women’sAuxiliary of Austin’s Veterans of Foreign Warsasked to have his Scouts accompany the veter-ans out of their hospital for an afternoon of foodand fun. The Scouts set up and cleared the tables. They or-ganizes games, including a trivia contest for veter-ans to win donated clothing and personal items. “It’s an opportunity for (the Scouts) to interactwith the very folks who protect our liberties,” said

Sylvester, chief deputy of the TravisCounty Sheriff’s Office. “The freedomswe have are because of the verypeople in this room.”

Sylvester’s boss, Travis County Sheriff GregHamilton, also got involved, donating the meat to the bar-becue. Hamilton said he would like to see more of his deputiesget involved with the veterans. Community service, he said,is the key to law enforcement.

Printed with permission fromthe Austin-American Statesman

Scouts, sheriff ’s deputies give back to war veteransBy Patrick George

Austin American-Statesman

Book ‘Em Library to open soonThe Sheriff’s Office is opening a library at 5555 Airport Bou-levard. This library will contain various types of books, rang-ing from leadership, teamwork, time-management, fitnessand an assortment of other topics. I am asking all employ-ees that have books that they may want to donate to pleasecontact Jeannie Maldonado at 854-9788 orjeannie.maldonado@co.travis.tx.us . Once the library iscompleted, instructions will be sent out on what the proce-dures are to check out books.

?????Who’s onthe cover

From left, Senior Deputy Vince Galloway - Community Outreach & HonorGuard, Deputy Mike Mancias - TCCC-Training, Senior Corrections Of-ficer Stephen Witt - Central Booking, Officer Alvina Gomez - CentralBooking, Deputy Roddy Blackmon - Motors, Deputy Willie Martinez- Motors, Deputy Keith Kunz - Lake Patrol, Robert Ingram - LakePatrol, Deputy Joanne Carson - K-9, Loretta Rock - TCJ Receptionand Carolyn Kimble - Office Specialist Senior, TCCC Records.

EmployeeSpotlight:Jeff Ford

T he first thing the inmates notice about this 6’2" officer standing in Central Booking intake are the burn scars on theofficer’s face and hands. When Officer JeffFord begins asking the inmate questionsconcerning his health and whether he has anyweapons or drugs, the inmate looksdumbfounded. It’s not that the inmate didn’tunderstand Officer Ford. It was Ford wasspeaking fluent spanish and the inmate couldn’tcomprehend it. Ford was born in the small west Texas town ofBig Spring as the youngest of 13 children. As atoddler he was in the family car when it caught

fire. The fire left scars on Ford’s face and hands,with his left hand being the most damaged.

Jeff’s family would not let his injuries hinderhim.

“It wasn’t in the family script,”according to Ford. “My familywas not the type to acceptexcuses.” He added that hismother would tell him, “As longas you are breathing, there isan opportunity to makesomething happen.” Although Ford has a handthat was damaged by thefire, his peers have noquestion about his abilityto take on the tasks ofthe job. OfficerSteven Ellis, a retiredmember of the USMC,

said, “(Officer Ford) is a great family man,professional, communicates well, and takes pridein his job.” Ford entered the criminal justice field in 1998as a Juvenile Corrections Officer. He let it beknown, “In our community there were a lot ofkids I personally knew who were headed downthe wrong way. A lot of them were coming out ofthe juvenile corrections facilities. I wanted to helpthem not return to those places.” In 1999 Fordbecame a licensed jailer for Midland County andjoined the Travis County Sheriff’s Office inSeptember 2000. He became a licensed peaceofficer in 2003 and is currently assigned as a FTOand CPO at Travis County Central Booking. An incident on Sept. 23, 2006 showed howOfficer Ford’s training helped prevent seriousinjuries to a fellow officer. Officer Daniel

See FORD,Page 20

In our community, there were a lot of kids I knew

personally who were headed down the wrong way.

A lot of them were coming out of the juvenile

corrections facilities. I wanted to help them not

return to those places..

Officer Jeff Ford,Senior Corrections Officer -

Central Booking Facility

By Officer Andrew YbarraCentral Booking Facility

19

20

armed with a handgun. The call was quickly entered whileTravis County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to thescene. At 6:28 p.m. the first deputy arrived on scene andadvised he had the husband at gun point. The husbandthen pointed the gun at the officer and went back inside. During the next three hours after receiving the 9-1-1 call,the SWAT Team and Hostage Negotiation Team werecalled out to the scene. They made several attempts tocontact the male, hoping to stabilize the situation, butwere unable to maintain a phone connection to the caller.He made several statements that he would come outshooting and then he would disconnect the phone. At 9:04 p.m. the male called 9-1-1 and got Kendra onthe phone. She began building a rapport with him andbegan trying to talk him out of the house. Kendra hadthen become the main negotiator of this very volatilesituation. After multiple disconnects and several attemptsto get him to come outside, unarmed, the male finallyagreed to do as Kendra asked.She always remained calmand was able to keep everyone informed as to what wasgoing on during the entire incident. Thanks to her quickthinking and careful handling of a volatile situation, Kendrawas able to assist the officers in taking this dangerousindividual into custody, before he could harm anyone. Kendra joined TCSO in October 2005. Her priorexperience as a dispatcher and supervisor at Hays Countyhas been invaluable to our team. Kendra is a t r u eprofessional and her accomplishments as aTelecommunications Specialist exemplify herdedication to the profession, TCSO and publicsafety. Our job is often a “thankless” one and it wasvery uplifting to see members of our teamrewarded in such a distinguished way. Congratulations to Jo-Anna and Kendra; we ’ revery proud of both of you.

9-1-1, continued from Page 13

Dear Sheriff Hamilton ...DWI Unit Deputies Belinda Lorenz andJeff Hulsey were wonderful tonight, and thegirls, who will be learning to drive soon, alongwith their mothers, were raving about how muchthey loved this meeting! I think we have a hardact to follow now — nothing can top this. We allso enjoyed your presentation; thank you for tak-ing the time to come see us and give us suchgreat information. You really did make quite animpression on the girls!

Thank you again,Claire English

2 YearsMartin Fernandes - Senior Corrections Officer, TCJ;Stevie McBride - Senior Certified Peace Officer, TCCC;Mark D. Jones - Sergeant, TCCC Facilities

Attendance Awards

3 Years

9 Years

5 YearsMatt Yarbrough - Senior Certified Peace Officer, TCCCFacilities

Scott Morgan - Senior Certified Peace Officer, TCCC;Steven F. Slone - Senior Certified Peace Officer, Trans-portation

Collette Girouard - Manager, TCCC Commissary

Cantu was attempting to escort an angry inmate back to openseating when the inmate attempted to strike Cantu. Officer Fordhad been standing near observing what was happening and wasprepared to take action. Officer Ford caught the inmate’s arm beforehe was able to connect the punch he was throwing at Officer Cantu.Even though reports say that officers took the inmate down andrestrained him, the picture at right speaks a thousand words. Life at Travis County Central Booking has not always been funand games. According to Officer Ford, about 3 months into his jobwith Travis County, he slipped on the wet floor of the old TCCB whilefighting with an inmate and broke his ankle. The injury was sosevere that EMS and emergency crew workers were shocked andrepulsed at the sight of his foot. “That didn’t inspire a whole lot ofconfidence in me,” Ford joked. Officer Ford is always stressing officer safety to the officersthat work C shift at TCJ Central Booking, as well as quality of workand professionalism. Like the rest of the officers , Ford is a Type-Apersonality. He is of good nature and spirit as well. His wisdomshows as he assists supervisors, officers from other agencies, andthe public. His goals for the future include supervisory positionswithin TCSO. Officer Jeff Ford is an officer that makes a difficult job lookeasy and helps make this agency look good.

FORD, continued from Page 19