Page 1 Badge & Gun • February 2014

Houston Police Officers’ Union1600 State StreetHouston, Texas 77007

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. Postage

PAIDHouston, Texas

Permit No. 7227

Non-profit Statement: Badge & Gun is published monthly at no subscription charge. Send Correspondence and Address Changes (include mailing label)

To: BADGE & GUN 1600 State Street Houston, TX 77007. Telephone: 713-237-0282.

The Publication of the Houston Police Off icers’ Unionwww.HPOU.org

Vo l . XXXX No . 2 Feb r ua r y 2014

HPOU

Strength Unity

Through

Texas’ Largest Police Union

The President’s Message

Ray Hunt

State Sen. John Whitmire swears in the 2014 HPOU Board of Directors at the Jan. 2 general membership meeting. See inside for a story about Whitmire’s support of HPD officers for more than 40 years in the Legislature. GARY HICKS PHOTO

Continues on Page 4

2013 had FiveTimes as ManyCommendationsThan Citizen Complaints to IAD

We all know the men and women of the Houston Police Department are professional and dedicated public servants to the City of Houston. The latest number from internal affairs confirms that the citizens of Houston appear to feel the same way.

Chief McClelland announced a few weeks ago that the numbers from 2013 are in and HPD had a record low number of internal affairs complaints filed by citizens. Citizens filed 235 complaints against HPD officers last year, the lowest number since HPD began recording such numbers in 2001.

By comparison, in 2010 there were 358 citizen complaints and in 2001 there were 887.

What was most alarming to me in the report was that three out of every four IAD complaints were generated from within the department. While I know some issues must be handled by IAD, it’s unfortunate that minor issues cannot be handled informally. Let’s hope that changes in 2014.

For a department to have well over one million citizen contacts and only have 235 complaints, it speaks loudly that our officers are doing a fantastic job representing Houston. Along with the 235 complaints, citizens commended our officers with 1,178 commendations last year. That’s five times more commendations than complaints.

Keep up the great work!

City’s Fire Pension Lawsuit

The City and the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association are in the process of negotiating a new contract under the state collective bargaining statute. The city administration – at the city attorney’s recommendation – raised the bargaining stakes by filing a lawsuit

See Pages 24 & 25for more info

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Page 2 Badge & Gun • February 2014

HPOU Board of Directors

Mark ClarkExecutive Director(832) 200-3434

executive_director@hpou.org

Executive Board

Board Members

J.G. GarzaDirector 1

(832) 875-1377position1@hpou.org

Don EgdorfDirector 7

(713) 240-6033position7@hpou.org

Gary HicksDirector 2

(832) 368-6283position2@hpou.org

Jeff WagnerDirector 3

(832) 512-8732position3@hpou.org

Robert BreidingDirector 4

(713) 854-6391position4@hpou.org

David RiggsDirector 5

(281) 387-8935position5@hpou.org

Terry WolfeDirector 6

(832) 341-0165position6@hpou.org

Bubba CaldwellDirector 8

(281) 924-4498position8@hpou.org

Robert SandovalDirector 14

(281) 924-6369position14@hpou.org

Joseph CastanedaDirector 9

(281) 795-5051position9@hpou.org

Rebecca DallasDirector 10

(832) 419-9589position10@hpou.org

Stephen AugustineDirector 15

(832) 677-0137position15@hpou.org

Timothy WhitakerDirector 12

(832) 606-9502position12@hpou.org

Luis Menedez-SierraDirector 13

(832) 513-5110position13@hpou.org

Rosalinda YbanezDirector 11

(832) 293-1495position11@hpou.org

Tom HayesDirector 16

(281) 924-3015position16@hpou.org

Bill BoothDirector 17

(281) 924-3016position17@hpou.org

Terry SeaglerDirector 18

(832) 494-8244position18@hpou.org

John YenchaDirector 19

(832) 731-9361position19@hpou.org

Colton PervillDirector 20

(832) 291-9004position20@hpou.org

Randy UptonSergeant at Arms(281) 352-6236

sergeant_atarms@hpou.org

Cole LesterAssistant Secretary(281) 924-3003

assistant_secretary@hpou.org

Dana Hitzman2nd Assistant Secretary

(832) 731-7501assistant_secretary@hpou.org

Tim Butler Treasurer

(713) 204-4372tbutler@hpou.org

Joslyn JohnsonParliamentarian(832) 642-9899

parliamentarian@hpou.org

Doug Griffith1st Vice-President(713) 501-4991

first_vp@hpou.org

Will ReiserSecretary

(281) 923-1626secretary@hpou.org

Joseph Gamaldi2nd Vice-President

(832) 283-9492second_vp@hpou.org

Ray HuntPresident

(281) 701-5428president@hpou.org

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Page 3 Badge & Gun • February 2014

Voice of the Houston Police Officers’ Union Published monthly at no subscription charge by the:

Houston Police Officers’ Union1600 State Street, Houston, TX 77007Ph: 832-200-3400 • Toll free: 1-800-846-1167Fax: 832-200-3470E-mail: thayes@policetrust.comWebsite address: www.HPOU.org

Legal Department: 832-200-3420Legal Dept Fax: 832-200-3426Insurance: 832-200-3410

Badge & Gun is the official publication of the Houston Police Officers’ Union. Badge & Gun is published monthly under the supervision of its Board of Directors. However, opinions expressed by individual Board members or any other writer in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire Board of Directors. Editorial submissions are welcomed and encouraged. All submissions must be received by the 7th of the month.

ADVERTISEMENT IN THE BADGE & GUN DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, A WARRANTY OR A GUARANTEE BY THE UNION.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to

Badge & Gun 1600 State Street

Houston, TX 77007Fax: 832-200-3470

Important Numbers

ATO: 713-223-4ATOBadge & Gun: 832-200-3400HPOU Offices: 832-200-34001-800-846-1167Insurance Fax: 832-200-3470Legal Services: 832-200-3420Legal Fax: 832-200-3426email: info@hpou.orgwww.hpou.org

BADGE GUN&

Editorial PageHPOU PAC 2014 Primary EndorsementsGovernorGreg Abbott (R)

State ComptrollerGlenn Hegar (R)

Texas SenateBob Deuell (R) District 2Robert Nichols (R) District 3Charles Schwertner (R) District 5Van Taylor (R) District 8Kelly Hancock (R) District 9Kirk Watson District 14John Whitmire (D) District 15John Carona (R) District 16Joan Huffman (R) District 17Royce West District 23Donna Campbell (R) District 25Royce West District 23Craig Estes (R) District 30

Texas HouseRon Reynolds (D) District 27Kenneth Sheets (R) District 107Jason Villabla (R) District 114Patricia Harless (R) District 126Wayne Smith (R) District 128Allen Fletcher (R) District 130Alma Allen (D) District 131Jim Murphy (R) 133Sarah Davis (R) District 134Gary Elkins (R) District 135Gene Wu (D) District 137Dwayne Bohac (R) District 138Sylvester Turner (D) District 139Armando Walle (D) District 140Senfronia Thompson (D) District 141Harold Dutton (D) District 142Ana Hernandez Luna (D) District 143Mary Ann Perez (D) District 144Carol Alvarado (D) District 145Borris Miles (D) District 146Garnet Coleman (D) District 147Jessica Farrar (D) District 148Hubert Vo (D) District 149Debbie Riddle (R) District 150

Texas Supreme CourtJeff Brown (R) Place 6Phil Johnson (R) Place 8

Texas Court of Criminal AppealsDavid Newell (R) Place 9Kevin Yeary (R) Place 4Bert Richardson (R) Place 3

Court of AppealsLaura Higley (R) 1st Court lace 5Kem Frost (R) 14th Court Chief JusticeMarc Brown (R) 14th Court Place 4Ken Wise (R) 14th Court Place 7

Harris County District ClerkChris Daniels (R)

County Clerk of Harris CountyStan Stanart (R)

State District Courts(Family, Civil, and Criminal)Jeff Shadwick (R) 55thMichael Landrum (R) 113thRandy Wilson (R) 157thCatherine Evans (R) 180thJeannine Barr (R) 182ndVanessa Vasquez (R) 183rdSusan Brown (R) 185thBill Burke (R) 189thPatricia Kerrigan (R) 190thDenise Collins (R) 208thMike McSpadden (R) 209thMark Carter (R) 228thBrad Hart (R) 230thMary Lou Keel (R) 232ndWesley Ward (R) 234thRoy Moore (R) 245thCharlie Prine (R) 246thM.L. “Meca” Walker (R) 247thKatherine Cabaniss (R) 248thJudy Warne (R) 257thDenise Bradley (R) 262ndJim Wallace (R) 263rdDan Hinde (R) 269thBrent Gamble (R) 270thLynn Bradshaw Hull (R) 280thSylvia Matthews (R) 281stCaroline Baker (R) 295thJames Lombardino (R) 308thSheri Dean (R) 309thLisa Millard (R) 310thAlicia Franklin (R) 311thDavid Farr (R) 312thGlen Devlin (R) 313 thJohn Phillips (R) 314thMike Schneider (R) 315th

Harris County Criminal Courts at LawPaula Goodhart (R) No. 1Bill Harmon (R) No. 2Natalie Fleming (R) No. 3John Clinton (R) No. 4Margaret Harris (R) No. 5Larry Standley (R) No. 6Pam Derbyshire (R) No. 7Jay Karahan (R) No. 8Analia Wilkerson (R) No. 9Dan Spjut (R) No. 10Diane Bull (R) No. 11Robin Brown (R) No. 12Don Smyth (R) No. 13Mike Fields (R) No. 14Jean Hughes (R) No. 15

Harris County Civil CourtsDebra Mayfield (R) No. 1Theresa Chang (R) No. 2Linda Storey (R) No. 3Roberta Lloyd (R) No. 4

County Probate CourtsLoyd Wright (R) No. 1Mike Wood (R) No. 2Rory Olsen (R) No. 3Christine Butts (R) No. 4

Harris County Justice of the Peace,Pct 4 Place 2Laryssa Korduba (R)

Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4R.H. “Sandy” Bielstein (R)

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Continues from Ray Page 1

against the Fire Pension Fund in the 190th District Court.

The city asks that the current Fire Pension statute, as written, be declared unconstitutional and that the firefighters be placed in a similar plan as the police and municipal system’s Meet and Confer process. The FAQs attached to the lawsuit for the council members states, “This lawsuit will have no impact on the Municipal System (HMEPS) or the Houston Police Officers’ Pension System (HPOPS) and is focused solely on the Houston Professional Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund. Through meet and confer, the city already has input on contributions and plan designs for HMEPS and HPOPS.”

While the city claims its suit is aimed solely at the firefighters’ pension and has absolutely no bearing on our pension, we will closely monitor all aspects of this litigation. The HPOU has an outstanding relationship with HPOPS and continues to work closely with their trustees to protect your pension.

Officers of the Month

For the last few years, the HPOU has been honoring a patrol officer of the month and an investigator of the month. The recipients are recognized at each monthly meeting and receive a $100 gift card.

Anyone can nominate patrol officers or investigators by going to our

website at hpou.org and clicking the member section. The appropriate form can be completed and submitted from the site.

We encourage you to make nominations when an individual goes above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks to Officer Luis Menendez Sierra for handling the patrol officer of the month and for Lt. Shamara Garner for handling the investigator of the month.

The HPOU also honors a field trainer each month. That award is given out at the winner’s station and is handled by the Field Training Office. The HPOU provides the plaque and a $100 gift card. Thanks to all who have made nominations in the past and congrats to all the winners!

If you have not attended a monthly meeting in the past, we meet at 11 a.m. on the first Thursday of each month (except July). We serve lunch and are done by noon. We encourage all members to attend.

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AN ʻAMIGOʼ DEAL FOR YOUR SPORTS COLLECTIBLES!Tom Kennedy is a long-time Houston

sports memorabilia dealer who doesnʼt believein HPD Officers paying retail.

Here are some examples:

ITEM PRICE ʻAMIGOʼ PRICESigned Duke Snider Ball $100 $75Signed Biggio Ball 199 $165Signed Bagwell Ball $149 $115Signed Stan “The Man” Musial Ball $199 $135Signed Yogi Berra Ball $95 $75

Tom Kennedyʼs Collectibles (Since 1972) at Thompsonʼs Antique Center of Texas9950 Hempstead Road (The Old Penney Location in Northwest Mall)

ALL SIGNED ITEMS COME WITH PSA DNA AUTHENTICATION!CALL TOM FOR SPECIAL REQUESTS FOR AUTOGRAPHED ITEMS 713-825-2273

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Legal Department VictoriesDead Man in CustodyHad Drug HistoryREPRESENTATIONBy Robert Armbruster, Staff Legal CounselAbout 2 p.m. on Jan. 6 officers were called to a disturbance call and an additional two man unit checked by the initial scene in the 3900 block of Dalmatian. The initial unit encountered the possible suspect lying near the front door of a house at this location.

The possible suspect was coherent, awake and his eyes were opened. He was behaving as if he were intoxicated. The officers determined he lived in the next block. They handcuffed

him and placed him in the patrol car for the short drive as the temperature was hovering at about freezing.

Once at his house the officers determined he lived there by speaking to relatives. Since the officers had adult family members to leave the possible suspect with and they were willing to take him, they turned him over to the family members.

The officers removed him from the patrol car and sat him on the grass to take off the cuffs. He was still awake, breathing fine and talking at this time, but refused to get up and go into the house. He was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt which was not sufficient for the cold weather.

The officers asked twice if the family members wanted an ambulance to come check him but they refused. Two family members picked the possible suspect up from the grass and carried him into the house. Within an hour an ambulance was called to this same address and the possible suspect was transported to the hospital, where he passed away.

The family had told officers the possible suspect had no issues with drugs and no criminal history. Officers later found he had been arrested numerous times with the most recent arrest for drugs about two weeks prior to this incident.

Shooter Arrested After Shooting at OfficerREPRESENTATIONBy Aaron J. Suder, Staff Legal Counsel

An officer involved in a Dec. 1 shooting was working an extra job with another officer at Chula’s Sports Cantina when a security guard notified them at about 12:30 a.m. that there was a group of males in a Cadillac in the front parking lot. These individuals were not being allowed in the club since they had caused a disturbance at this location a few weeks prior to this incident. They were obvious members of the “Houstone” street gang.

The two officers proceeded to the front parking lot of the business and advised the males that they would need to leave. At first, the males appeared to comply peacefully and returned to their vehicle. However, as the officers watched, one of the males became involved in a verbal confrontation with another male in the parking lot and suddenly punched the man in the face. When the officers hurried over to stop what was going on and arrest the male suspect, he took off running on foot.

As one officer reached the Cadillac, which still had the other two gang members

sitting in it, he looked into the open driver’s

window and saw that the driver was holding a

semi-automatic pistol between his legs. The first officer yelled “Gun” to the other officer, who was a short distance away. At that time, the driver of the Cadillac put the car in gear and sped forward out of its parking space,

driving toward the exit onto the Interstate 10 (Katy Freeway) feeder road. However, rather than continuing to speed off, the vehicle slowed down. Before exiting the parking lot, the driver held the pistol out of the driver’s window and fired a shot back at the officers. One officer returned fire and shot one round at the Cadillac before it sped off. The round did not hit either the vehicle or its occupants.

The officer quickly got on his hand-held radio and notified the dispatcher of what had occurred. Because of his fast actions and good vehicle description, on-duty units were able to apprehend the Cadillac a short distance away and arrested the occupants.

Neither officer was injured in the incident.

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HPOU employs four full-time staff attorneys in the Legal Department to assist our members with legal matters relating to the course and scope of employment.

However, due to the possibility of certain legal and ethical considerations, HPOU Legal will occasionally call in well-qualified outside attorneys to handle legal matters for its members.

This may cause members consternation, even confusion, when dealing with an administrative or criminal investigation. Having to meet with an attorney that is not one of the full-time Legal Staff may cause added stress to an officer facing the pressure of an investigation or discipline.

The HPOU wants to assure all members that the contract attorneys of the HPOU are highly qualified to represent officers in the various aspects of the investigation and procedure. In addition, the contract attorneys are readily available and flexible, and can make arrangements to meet you at the HPOU offices to discuss your legal situation.

HPOU Legal calls on three contract attorneys on a regular basis. All of the attorneys have extensive knowledge and experience in police procedure and administrative processes. To familiarize the HPOU membership with these “outside” attorneys that might be called on to handle their cases, the Badge & Gun offers these pictures and biographies:

CARSON JOACHIMCarson Joachim (pronounced Yokum) began his legal career at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office where he gained valuable trial experience successfully prosecuting both misdemeanor and felony cases. Upon leaving the DA’s Office, Carson joined the prominent firm of Nichols Law, P.L.L.C. where he focused his practice on family law issues, with additional trial experience in divorce, custody and guardianship issues.

Upon leaving Nichols Law to expand his legal experience and range of knowledge, Carson represented law enforcement officers from the Houston Police Department as staff counsel for the Houston Police Patrolmen’s Union, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 109. While at HPPU, Carson handled all forms of administrative hearings and appeals related to discipline and officer-involved shootings.

Carson is currently legal counsel for the Harris County Deputies Organization (HCDO).

Carson handles administrative civil mat-ters, IAD investigations, grievances and criminal matters for the members of HCDO. Additionally, as a lawyer for HCDO, Carson advises the executive board on legal matters that affect the organization as well as assisting the members in critical incidents such as shootings and death in custody investigations.

For many years, Carson has been on the HPOU call-out team for officer-involved shootings. He has assisted Houston police officers in every step of administrative investigations, including 48-hour letters, civil service hearings, arbitrations, and Loudermill hearings.

Carson has vast experience in police officer procedure and investigation and has represented officers in criminal matters as well, for on-duty and off-duty incidents.

NICOLE DeBORDEA former prosecutor, Nicole DeBorde is a criminal defense attor-ney and trial lawyer with 20 years experi-ence in criminal law. Her career prosecuting at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office includ-ed handling complex reactive and proac-tive cases in the public integrity unit. She has extensive experience presenting civil rights-type cases to grand juries, trying cases in the courtroom and handling them on appeal.

Licensed in state court, federal court and the United States Supreme Court, her broad spectrum of experience is valuable in assisting the officer accused of minor administrative matters all the way up to the most egregious allegation.

DeBorde has been assisting HPOU with officer-involved shootings and criminal and administrative cases since leaving the DA’s office in 2002. DeBorde has handled all aspects of the administrative investigation

procedure, including 48-hour letters, appeals, arbitrations, civil service hearings, grievances and Loudermill hearings. Recent victories include the acquittal of an officer at trial in the Chad Holley matter, successful conclusion of administrative proceedings and successes in cases involving officers accused of criminal activity.

She currently serves as a board member for the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association. She is former president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association; past chair of the HBA’s Criminal Law and Procedure Section, 2006 President’s Award recipient from HCCLA; and member of American Inns of Court.

KIM PARKSKim Parks is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University), with a BBA in Finance, and a graduate of South Texas College of Law. Upon graduating from law school, Kim joined the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, where she tried more than 75 first-chair jury trials as a trial court attorney, prosecuting a wide range of cases from Driving While Intoxicated to Murder.

During her 10-year tenure at the DA’s office, she also served as prosecutor for Capital Murder post-conviction habeas corpus proceedings, the deputy chief of the Misdemeanor Division, and as a Special Crimes Prosecutor specializing in white collar major fraud prosecution.

In 2003, Kim entered private practice, involved exclusively in the representation of persons accused of all levels of a criminal cases in Texas. Kim’s broad-ranging practice also involves appellate and post-conviction habeas corpus litigation and she serves as ad litem attorney for respondents in civil asset forfeiture proceedings. In addition, Kim is a prosecutor for the City of Southside Place.

For over a decade, Kim has been a contract attorney with the HPOU. She has represented members in every level of internal investigations, including conflict cases, criminal proceedings, administrative interrogations, appeals of dis-cipline, arbitrations, Loudermill hearings and appeals before the Civil Service Commission. Kim has also defended officers charged with on-duty and off-duty criminal conduct.

HPOU Legal Spotlights its Contract Staff

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By TOM KENNEDY Public Safety Financial Group, LLC – a three-member team of financial advisors – is now available in the Breck Porter Building throughout the workweek to provide a free comprehensive financial plan for each HPOU member.

With one phone call to make an appointment, an officer may receive a wide range of free financial analysis. Each appointment lasts about an hour at no cost.

“For active officers and retirees we offer comprehensive financial plans,” PSFG’s Brian Craft explained, “that may include retirement planning, investment planning, college education funding, insurance planning – financial planning of any kind.”

Craft said each plan is tailored to the needs of the officer involved. The PSFG office in the front (south side) of the Porter Building is open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments may be made by calling Marian Henderson at 832-200-3440.

“Typically,” Craft said, “we do one-hour appointments with active officers and more in depth planning as officers transition into retirement which addresses their DROP/PROP account, Phase-Down, deferred comp and any other investments.”

HPOU President Ray Hunt said the Union provides a rental discount for PSFG in return for a free service that Craft reported amounts to a $500 financial planning value.

Craft said, “Our role here began as the advisors for the HPD 457 deferred compensation plan. It was established to allow active officers to save for retirement. As the plan grew so did the quality and level of services offered through our firm.”

Craft’s group sends out letters to officers who have announced their retirement, urging them to prioritize their financial future, beginning with an appointment with HPOU’s in-house financial advisors.

“As police officers transition into this next chapter, many face it with fear and uncertainty, especially as it relates to their finances,” the letter says. “Developing a comprehensive financial plan will help alleviate these concerns.

“The advisors at Public Safety Financial Group, who have a combined 30-plus years of experience working with retirees and their families, will work with you to create this personalized financial picture.

“As you enter this next phase, a retirement roadmap will educate you on all of the pros and cons of your various income options.”

Besides Craft, the other financial advisors on the team are Bryan Gaskamp and Allison Wammel.

HPOU Now has Financial Advisory TeamOffering Counseling to all Officers

HPOU’s latest honorees for Patrol Officers of the Month are Senior Police Officer Jose DeLosAngeles and Jacob Pulido.

HPOU’s Luis Menedez-Sierra presented the honor and provided the following account of the two officers’ actions to arrest a double murder suspect.

On Nov. 8, 2012, emergency personnel were summoned to a house fire on Dover. Inside the residence were two bodies of a male and female with severe blunt trauma to the head and face. The victims were later identified as a pastor and his daughter.

Investigators determined that the victims were murdered and the house was purposely set on fire to destroy any evidence left behind by the killer. Investigators received information that the pastor’s grandson, Cameron Dorsey, was seen leaving the scene as he fled in his grandfather’s vehicle.

Three days later the HPD dispatcher received a call that Dorsey was possibly hiding inside his late grandfather’s church on Gibbons Street. Responding officers assigned to the Eastside Division received information from witnesses that Dorsey was still inside the church. Unbeknownst to the officers on the scene, Dorsey had escaped from the officers’ perimeter before their arrival and had fled on foot.

Meanwhile Officers DeLosAngeles and Pulido were en route to assist the officers with the perimeter. While en route to the call they spotted an individual on foot, matching the description in the call slip, at Broadway and the La Porte Freeway. The officers tactically approached the suspect and, not knowing if the suspect was armed or not, they drew their service weapons and directed him to the ground.

The suspect had no other alternative but to comply and was taken into custody without incident.

Two Officers Earn January Patrol Honor

HPOU’s Luis Menedez-Sierra and Patrol Officers of the Month, Senior Police Officer Jose DeLosAngeles and Officer Jacob Pulido. GARY HICKS PHOTO

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By BARBARA A. SCHWARTZA First Responders Day national holiday may become reality thanks to the efforts of Andrew Collier and an assist provided by the Houston Police Officers Union.

Andrew’s brother, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Officer Sean Collier, was murdered by the Boston Marathon bombers last April. Sean had responded to a disturbance call. He perished in the line of duty while sitting inside his patrol car.

To honor his brother’s memory and the commitment to duty of all first responders, Andrew created an online petition to gather signatures showing support for the creation of a national First Responders Day holiday.

Growing up in Boston, Sean dreamed of becoming a police officer. He took pride in his profession, savored the camaraderie between police officers and volunteered in the community he served.

Sean wasn’t murdered because he was a brother, son or friend. Sean was murdered because he had a badge pinned to his chest, wore a police officer’s uniform, and was sitting in a marked police car.

Andrew wants to put meaning to the loss of his brother. He wants Sean’s death and what officers in this country do every day to mean something to the people of this country. Sean died in service to America at home on American soil. The sacrifice is no different than any Marine or soldier who has given their life in the line of duty.

Unlike Police or Firefighters Memorial Week, First Responders Day goes beyond honoring the fallen by honoring the living, those who serve and protect on a daily basis, day in and day out, shift after shift, those who make the decision to put their lives on the line every day when they show up for work.

When the Houston Police Officers Union became aware of Andrew’s petition drive, the Union pledged its unwavering support toward this effort.

Laptops have been available at monthly meetings for officers to sign the petition. At the annual picnic last October, HPOU provided laptops for family members to access the petition online.

An article, originally published in the October issue of the Badge & Gun detailing Andrew’s efforts, has been reprinted in several print and online law enforcement publications across the state and the nation.

HPOU’s efforts has helped add over 6,000 signatures to the petition over the last three months.

Massachusetts Congressman Michael Capuano plans to submit the First Responders Day holiday legislation to Congress in mid-February.

Andrew reports that the bill has bipartisan support going forward to the House floor. “It’s really nice to have support from both sides,” he said.

Andrew stressed that signatures on the petition are needed now more than ever. “It shows Congress that there is lots of support for this across America and that people feel it’s important.”

Andrew may be called to speak before the congressional committee that will review the legislation before the bill is submitted to the House. He plans to print out all the signatures on the petition as well as the comments people have posted to present to the committee members. Andrew said the comments are “really touching” and show that “people believe in this.”

Once the bill clears the committee and moves to the House floor, Andrew plans an email blast asking people to write their Congressional representative to support the legislation.

HPOU members are encouraged to write their U.S. Congressional representative now to make them aware of the upcoming legislation.

ESPN and Fox Sports have joined the efforts of Andrew and the HPOU to gain signatures in support of the First Responders Day holiday. FOX Sports taped a segment titled “Collier Strong” about Andrew, Sean and his family that aired across FOX’s two new networks, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2.

Andrew works as a machinist for Hendrick Racing in North Carolina. The team fields cars for NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Actor Donnie Wahlberg, who plays a detective in CBS’s Blue Bloods, narrated the video segment that aired prior to a NASCAR race in November on FOX Sports’ “RaceDay” program.

View the segment at: http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/videos/2013/11/4/sprint-cup-series-collier-strong-narrated-by-donnie-wahlberg.html.

Wahlberg, a Massachusetts native, has since tweeted about the petition and stays in contact with Andrew.

FOX Sports continues to air the video on their NASCAR news program “Race Hub” and FOX Sports Live.

Marty Smith with ESPN also interviewed Andrew and mentioned the petition drive. The article appeared on the ESPN website at: http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/9285762/nascar-door-door-andrew-collier-proud-late-brother-sean.

Andrew and HPOU urge your continued support to help get the word out about First Responders Day and the online petition.

Please continue to email, post on Facebook, and Tweet to encourage your friends and family to sign the petition at: http://www.change.org/firstresponders.

Andrew wants to honor you and what you do by enacting the First Responders Day. Please help make his dream and his honorarium to his brother, Sean, a reality.

First Responders Day Legislation Update

The brothers during happier times. Officer Sean Collier (left) and Andrew on a vacation cruise. Photo provided by Andrew Collier.

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By TOM KENNEDYAt last count, Bishop Floyd E. Lewis had dedicated a quarter of a century of volunteer service to give “thumbs up” to people he long ago termed “domestic soldiers.” Much of his work has been as an unpaid chaplain but you might say all of it speaks positively of Houston police officers.

Bishop’s latest positive statements came early last month when he appeared before television cameras at the HPOU to present his own “I have a dream” speech supporting whole-heartedly the daily work of the law enforcement officers of Houston and Harris County.

Lewis’ adamant support was merely the latest in a long line of walks and talks after establishing a few years ago what he terms the “Thumbs Up” project designed to enhance the relationship between citizens and their police officers.

Lewis likens today’s street criminals to “domestic terrorists” and therefore reckons that “police officers are domestic soldiers combating crime committed by criminals whom we view as domestic terrorists.”

Honest citizens need to constantly emphasize their appreciation of their “soldiers” by giving them the thumbs-up sign.

Lewis stresses the fact that he has crusaded in favor of improved community relationships with the police without taking political sides. He started doing it this way more than four decades ago during the Civil Rights movement when any kinship between the races in Houston was practically non-existent.

Not known as an activist horn-tooter, the 78-year-old Lewis told the Badge & Gun that he has always striven to find ways to avoid angry confrontations in his life-long effort to find common ground for the good people in all races.

He recalled some incidents in the late 1960s and early 1970s that he believes in his huge heart helped to avoid major racial conflicts in the Bayou City.

Lewis had a strong working relationship with Mayor Louie Welch (1964-1974) and felt he could call him on the phone and get an answer when an important issue arose in the black community.

Lewis Continues his Determined VolunteerRecord for HPD and Area Law Enforcement

We Have a Dream

Mankind’s history dictates that, when circumstances warrant it, there are those who stand up, stand out and stand strong, to meet the need of their country.

There is a time in history when good men and women must and do come to the aid of their country. When they don’t ask what their country can do for them but what they can do for their country.

There is a time when good men recognize the elements affecting the balance of their society and disregarding their own welfare, they stand up and are counted.

Today, we speak of such men and women.

In the aftermath of violence, chaos, destruction and death, there comes a time when we must consider the past, recognize the present and pre-pare for the future.

Now is that time for us.

Some men see things as they are and ask, Why? We see things as they should be and say, Why not? We dare dream of equanimity and balance in an imbalanced society.

Dr. King had a dream for a unified America and the world embraced his dream.

We also have a dream.

Today, we are here because we have a dream for the unselfish men and women who, daily, make the ultimate sacrifice, without the benefit of fame, fortune or glory.

We have a dream, President Ray Hunt, Chief Charles McClelland, Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Chief Victor Rodriguez, the men and women police officers and deputies of Houston and Harris County, the bishops, pastors, ministers and members of the international church fellowship.

We have a dream for all law enforcement officers all over the world.

We have a dream for America, that citizens in our country, in Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, New York, California, Mississippi and every city in the United States would come to appreciate our domestic soldiers, those who put their lives on the line protecting and serving our community, for those domestic soldiers who put their wives, husbands, children, kindred and friends on hold, the families never knowing when the doorbell will chime or there is a knock on the door and an officer standing there, coming to tell them that their loved one has made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life that we may sleep a little better, work a little safer, shop a little longer and serve our God freely.

We have a dream that we come to realize that one bad police incident does not represent the good police officers who carry out their duties with respect to the community and honor to their uniform.

We have a dream today. We have a dream that we come to appreciate their service to us.

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Floyd Lewis was passionate in his “dream” speech inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and dedicated to law enforcement officers and first responders. GARY HICKS PHOTO

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Continues from Page 18 SERVING THE ALARM NEEDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS

Keith Margavio6630 Roos Road • Houston, Texas 77006

713-524-6537 • solehouse@comcast.net

Graphic Design & Illustration

“Thumbs Up” gesture toward them is immeasurable. A simple yetprofound gesture which says “We care” and are conscious of yourservice, and your sacrifice for us.

We have a dream today that we, as a society, come to understand that they desire to be free.

Those who are patrolling the streets in their cruisers, manning a desk in an office, or walking a beat in the asphalt jungle we call our streets. We have a dream for those who are seen and those who are unseen, for all desire to be free.

Free of the politically correct enslavement that they have to endure while they attempt to do their jobs, their law enforcement ministry which compels them to protect and serve the American community.

We have a dream for Americas’ police. Just as the children of Israel desired to be free of Egypt’s enslavement, they desire to be free of the criticisms and ostracisms when one bad apple or one negative incident projects itself on all of them, and they are branded as a bad collective.

We have a dream that we set them free.

We have a dream, that even though they are pursued by the armies of discouragement behind them, mountains of political correctness on either side of them and the Red Sea of isolation and separation before them, we the God believing community, would meet them at their “Red Sea.”

And with the rod of prayer and mustard seed faith, we part that Red Sea and going before and behind them, we cross that sea together, on dry rational ground.

And in our homeland, with them warring against the elements which disrupts our community’s balance, we join hands with them, the CIA, FBI, DEA, our local law enforcement agencies and all law enforcement agencies and sing that much needed song of support “Together at last, together at last, we the community and the police, are together at last.”

Thank God almighty, we are together at last. And any time we see a blood red vehicle, we are reminded of the blood they shed on their law enforcement cross as they die for all of us.

Thank you, and God save America!

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We have a dream that we come to understand what a simple “Thumbs Up” gesture would do for them. The psychological impact of a

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“I’ll tell you one example,” he said, remembering one day in the late 1960s. “There was no such thing as a black business directory for the city. I told Louie Welch we needed a black and brown business directory and the mayor got City Council to give money for the directory.”

Lewis – like many 1960s activists – recalled the details of the 1967 Texas Southern University riot in which HPD exchanged gunfire with TSU students in one of the dormitories on campus.

The bishop remembered that one Houston police officer, Louis Kuba, was killed in the melee, a line-of-duty tragedy like the many he has responded to over his years as a volunteer chaplain. He said it always saddens him to discuss the loss of any police officer.

But he pointed out that because of a few positive programs – many helped along by Mayor Welch – “we forewent a major, major riot in this city.”

The bishop’s point is that these efforts helped to demonstrate to the city’s poorer populations that they might be able to achieve more success in their lives than they were previously led to believe.

Lewis graduated from Phyllis Wheatley High School and started in the ministry at age 18, learning the details of the teachings of Jesus Christ from his father. Once the younger minister got out of the Army as a corporal, he continued the Lord’s work. He became the district superintendent over 10 churches in what was to become an affiliation known as the International Church Fellowship. (The group is legally from the Baptist denomination although “Baptist” is not used in church titles or materials).

Today Lewis is the “presiding bishop of the International Church Fellowship,” which has churches all around the United States as well as in Africa and England.

In about 1986 the Department found itself without a chaplain and asked 10 or 12 local ministers to serve as volunteer chaplains. Lewis surfaced to a leadership position because he was willing to take on the responsibilities more often than not. Eventually he became the full-time volunteer chaplain for about five years before a selection committee – on which he served – chose Officer Ed Davis to be the Department’s full-time chaplain.

Lewis continued to work “hand in glove” with Davis, substituting for him when other policing duties called and helping officers or officers’ families in need. “I was the unpaid vice chaplain, so to speak,” Lewis said with a grin, referring to Davis’ 13 or 14 years of service before retiring and going to the Harris County Sheriff’s Department.

When current HPD chaplain Monty Montgomery and HPOU volunteer chaplain Paul J. Giddens entered the picture, Lewis continued to fit in where needed, duties that include “bringing the dignitaries in and seating them” on occasions such as memorial services for officers who have died in the line of duty.

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Bishop Floyd Lewis had many influential supporters standing behind him during his “dream” speech before Houston television cameras on Jan. 6 at the HPOU Breck Porter Building. Beside him are, left to right, HPOU 1st Vice President Doug Griffith, HPOU 2nd Vice President Joe Gamaldi, Metro Police Chief Victor Rodriguez, HPD Chief Charles McClelland, HPOU President Ray Hunt, HCSO Major Edwin Davis and Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia. GARY HICKS PHOTO

Bishop Floyd Lewis gives his special “Thumbs Up” to Houston police officers in the presence of his classic red Ford Thunderbird, which is his trademark. GARY HICKS PHOTO

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By TOM KENNEDYAfter an investigation that last most of 2013, Officer Bertha Massie of the HPD Homicide Division produced the evidence that resulted in murder charges against a man who punched his live-in girlfriend in the face and threw an inflammatory liquid on her as she smoked a cigarette.

The victim was unable to speak for several months and died on Oct. 14 at the John S. Dunn Burn Center – but not before she provided Officer Massie with the statements she needed to work with the District Attorney’s Office to charge the suspect, initially with aggravated assault with a flammable liquid.

Those charges were later changed to murder. The suspect was arrested in September.

“As a result of Officer Massie’s extremely meticulous investigation, she was able to obtain enough solid evidence against the suspect to charge him with this horrific crime,” Homicide Sgt. Jack Greenwood said.

“By her diligence and determination she possibly prevented this suspect from eluding arrest and harming another innocent person.”

For her work Officer Massie was presented with Investigator of the Month honors at the January general membership meeting of the Houston Police Officers Union.

Greenwood gave a detailed account of Massie’s work from the time she was assigned to do a follow-up investigation of the burn event which took place Jan. 25, 2013 in Robertson Park in the 4700 block of Robertson Street until the charges were filed and later upgraded to Murder.

Witnesses told Massie – who works in Homicide’s Family Violence Unit – that they assisted the victim after seeing the male suspect “throw an unknown flammable liquid on the complainant and set her on fire,” Greenwood said.

Initially, Greenwood said, the DA declined to charge the suspect “due to the limited evidence.”

Massie had little success finding the victim in order to get a statement but ultimately located her at the Burn Center under an assumed name for her protection. Greenwood said the steps taken by the officer resulted in finally providing the DA the necessary evidence to charge the alleged perpetrator.

“After arriving at the Burn Center, Officer Massie learned the severity of the complainant’s injuries,” the sergeant said. “She was informed by the doctor that the complainant was in a very critical state and her condition was not stable. The doctor informed her that even if the complainant lived, it’s possible that she would not be able to speak for approximately five to six months.

“While at the Burn Center, Officer Massie put on the appropriate sanitized gear, entered the room and took several photos of the complainant. Prior to leaving the Burn Center Officer Massie made contact with the complainant’s sister and was able to obtain valuable information concerning the history of the complainant and suspect.

“It was at this time that she also learned that the suspect was in possession of the complainant’s phone.”

Throughout the month of February 2013 Massie interviewed in detail the witnesses at the scene, the on-scene officers and the paramedics who treated the victim at the scene.

“The officers said after complainant entered the ambulance, she made an outcry to the paramedics that the suspect punched her in the eye and set her on fire,” Greenwood said.

Massie’s interview of the suspect failed to effectively contradict what witnesses had told her.

On July 10, Massie was finally able to interview the complainant.

“The complainant informed Officer Massie that she was set on fire by the suspect while they were at the park,” Sgt. Greenwood said. “She stated that they had an argument and he told her that he was going to make sure she couldn’t talk.

“She said that he struck her in the left eye using his fist and threw an unknown liquid on her while she was smoking and set her on fire.”

Although the aggravated assault with a flammable liquid (family member; serious bodily injury) charges were filed on July 25, he wasn’t arrested until Sept. 17.

Diligent Homicide Officer Perseveres,Gets Murder Charges Against ManWho Burned Girlfriend to Death

Homicide Sgt. Jack Greenwood is pictured with the latest HPOU Investigator of the Month, Officer Bertha Massie of the Homicide Division’s Family Violence Unit. GARY HICKS PHOTO

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By TOM KENNEDYIt’s safe to say that no public officeholder has done more for Houston police officers than the dean of the Texas Senate – the one and only John Whitmire.

There is no single issue benefitting HPD officers over the last 40 years that Sen. Whitmire hasn’t favored, front and center, for the people he calls his “close friends and neighbors.”

You talk meet and confer, Whitmire’s there four square. You talk police pensions and the always outspoken Senate veteran reminds you of the daily dangers encountered by Houston police officers and touts their well-deserved, hard-earned and fairly-negotiated entitlement that no one should mess with.

So there.

“Sen. Whitmire was one of the first legislators I met during my first Capitol visits in 1983,” HPOU Executive Director Mark Clark said. “His support of Houston police officers and their families is unrivaled.

“Sen. Whitmire has supported HPD officers on every issue and does it because he knows Houston police officers and knows what they go through on the job.

“He played a very important role in our first meet-and-confer contract in 1998. Every Houston police officer needs to know that – thanks to John Whitmire – we successfully negotiated our ground-breaking contract with the city.”

HPOU President Ray Hunt described Whitmire as “a friend to HPD officers and their families and I know for a fact he cares deeply about us and what we do for the city.

“I have seen Sen. Whitmire in action and words don’t do justice to the contributions he has made to our department and officers. He gets it and his experience and knowledge of the Senate are irreplaceable. His energy and abilities have helped our city immensely.”

The Waltrip ConnectionsHow – one might ask – did the dean of the Texas Senate become such a steadfast advocate for HPD officers, law enforcement in general and a constant crusade to make sure that the bad guys get what they deserve? Oh, and while he’s at it he also supports firefighters and municipal public servants at all levels.

This special devotion took firm root in the Garden Oaks and Oak Forest sections of the north side more than four decades ago, where Whitmire grew up and was a Waltrip High School classmate of numerous future officers, firefighters and city employees who went on to serve in various departments.

These neighborhoods were producing one city public servant after another for the decades of the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

An especially poignant fact in history is that three Waltrip graduates were police officers killed in the line of duty: John Bamsch, shot to death by a robbery suspect in 1975; Timothy L. Hearn, killed by a pistol-wielding drug suspect in 1978; and John Anthony Salvaggio, killed by a hit-and-run driver in 1990.

John Whitmire,the Waltrip grad,has steadfastly represented HPD officers and their families for more than 40 years in the Texas Legislature – from his wet-behind-the-ears days as a state rep to right now as dean of the Texas Senate

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State Sen. John Whitmire tells HPOU membership how he became a public servant dedicated to making sure that HPD officers are fairly compensated from their biweekly salaries to their lifetime pensions. GARY HICKS PHOTO

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“Tim was my best friend in high school,” Whitmire told the Badge & Gun. “He went to UT to get a degree in accounting and he was a groomsman at my wedding.

“Two years later he joined the force. He got in Narcotics. A year later he was murdered on Harrisburg.”

Whitmire vividly recalled Hearn’s habit of coming around to visit him, wearing a beard since he worked undercover. And he’ll never forget the early morning of June 8, 1978 when he got the news: Hearn and his partner were in the process of arresting a drug dealer on Harrisburg when the suspect, Rudy Ramos Esquivel, pulled a gun and started shooting, hitting Hearn in the face and abdomen and wounding a fellow Narc, Murray Jordan.

Hearn, 28, died three hours later on the operating table at Hermann Hospital.

The state executed Esquivel on June 9, 1986.

“Joe Messa, who was a year behind us at Waltrip, called me early in the morning. Tim had been shot in the face and gut. The bullet had cut his artery.”

Sen. Whitmire has stood solidly behind Texas’ death penalty ever since. He well knows what he readily calls police officers’ “hardships of modest pay, long hours and danger.”

“Lord knows,” he said, “I’ve gone to too many funerals of police and firefighters who have died in the line of duty.”

By the time he lost his friend Hearn, Whitmire had served three terms in the Texas House. His first campaign unfurled in 1972 when he was a wet-behind-the-ears, wanna-be officeholder who walked door to door. Everywhere he went he seemed to find police officers, firefighters and city employees living in the neighborhoods.

“You could see some of all three in Oak Forest, the Heights and Garden Oaks,” he remembered. These were middle class whites. The city work force was not yet diversified as it is today.”

It would require many feet of space to list every Waltrip graduate who joined HPD over the years. A few readily came to Whitmire’s mind – Messa, Richard Carr, Bob Thomas – but one particularly stood out on the day of the B&G interview inside Whitmire’s office on Yale in the Heights.

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SEN. WHITMIRE’SBRIEF BIOGRAPHYOCCUPATION: AttorneyEDUCATION: University of Houston, B.A.;Bates College of Law, University of HoustonLEGISLATIVE EXPERIENCE: House Member, 1973 - 1982; Senate Member, 1983 - presentHOMETOWN: HoustonPARTY: Democrat Senator John Whitmire represents the 15th Senatorial District comprised of north Houston and parts of Harris County. He was elected to the Texas Senate in 1982 after serving 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives. With over 30 years of service in the Texas Senate, Senator Whitmire ranks first in seniority and is the “Dean of the Texas Senate.”

Senator Whitmire serves as Chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee and works to bring about needed changes to the adult and juvenile criminal justice systems. He is also a mem-ber of the Senate Administration Committee and the Senate Business and Commerce Committee. In addition, he serves as a member of the Senate Finance Committee where he is com-mitted to finding appropriate solutions for funding the state’s many agencies and programs.

Senator Whitmire chairs the School Discipline Consensus Project, a nonpartisan effort led by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, which brings together leaders from across the United States to develop strategies to minimize the over-use of suspension and expulsion in public schools, improve students’ academic outcomes, reduce the referral to the juvenile justice system, and promote safe and productive learning environments.

In addition to his leadership in criminal justice and public safety, Senator Whitmire is a passionate advocate for quality public education, affordable higher education, minority and women’s rights, and access to quality affordable health care and mental health services, and sound business and economic development.

Originally from Hillsboro, Texas, Senator Whitmire moved to Houston where he graduated from Waltrip High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Houston and attended the Bates College of Law. He was admitted to the Texas State Bar in 1981 and is attorney of counsel to the law firm Locke Lord LLP. Senator Whitmire has two daughters, Whitney and Sarah Whitmire.

Sen. Whitmire shares a lighter moment with HPOU board members after swearing them in at the Jan. 2 meeting. GARY HICKS PHOTO

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That would be Richard Holland, the now-retired Homicide captain who currently serves as the chief investigator for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

Legislative Victories“Delinda married Richard Holland right out of high school and she went to work for me as a young high school graduate,” the senator recalled. “Richard, who became known as everybody’s ‘cop’s cop,’ became a police officer when you only had to be 19 years old. Linda worked for me for eight years and I’ve watched families like these as personal friends from the time the joined the department until they retired.”

Delinda’s boss knew the everyday effects of a police officer’s trials and tribulations and – especially – the difficulty of feeding a growing young family on an officer’s salary, not to mention the long hours put in to earn it.

“Police officer benefits and Civil Service protection are very personal to me,” Whitmire said. “Nobody knows the importance of having a sound pension than the people who are depending on them.”

“Over the years,” Holland said, “he has done much for law enforcement in Austin and Houston police officers in Austin. We’ve watched his career progress. He’s the kind of guy who’s made a habit of looking out for the little man and has never forgotten where he came from. “When Delinda worked for John, I was a young police officer. This exposed him to some of the realities of a police officer’s life and the wife of a police officer. He got a first-hand view.

“Over the years we’ve bounced things off each other. I think he’s passionate about law enforcement. He’s been a good friend of ours and a good friend of law enforcement in general.”

Whitmire fought another well-known Whitmire over details. When Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire – married to the senator’s late brother, Jim – sought to curb HPD benefits in order to rewrite her city budget, the Whitmire in the Legislature didn’t give an inch.

Mayor Whitmire was always trying to mess with the pension system, a current subject that Sen. Whitmire minces no words in voicing his opinion about.

“It’s amazing to me what corporate businessmen fail to understand – that 1,600 officers are vested and can leave the department tomorrow. Heck, there maybe 2,500 who could leave tomorrow if they didn’t love their work.

“Houston could wake up one day and wouldn’t have a police or fire department. A lot of term-limited City Council members don’t understand and sometimes mayors don’t.

“I got to knock heads with Kathy Whitmire over police and fire benefits. But since Lanier (Mayor Bob Lanier in 1992-1998), agreement with employee groups was worked out in Houston.

“They were able to work out their differences in Houston and bring it to Austin and we’d ratify it. We did that (meet-and-confer statues) and it worked out with Lanier, Brown, White and now this mayor (Parker).“It’s nuts to me to hear people criticize employee groups over benefits. I won’t tolerate anything criticizing the current package. A deal’s a deal! Professionally, it’s personal because these are my friends and my families. I’ve watched the sacrifices they’ve made.”

It’s accurate to say that Whitmire’s Waltrip ties have had no limits in terms of HPD officer benefits, for the senator also goes back a long way

with another WHS and HPD alumnus, Bob Thomas, a retired sergeant who is now a lawyer.

Mustard or MayoThomas was a long-time activist in the Houston Police Officers Association and a founding member and president of the now-defunct Houston Police Patrol Union (HPPU).

By the end of the 1979 session of the Texas Legislature, Thomas and his buddy, Whitmire, then a state representative, worked to sponsor a measure to require the refund of police pension contributions if an officer left the department before 20 years of vested service.

Withholding these contributions was highly hypocritical since the city refunded them for firefighters and municipal employees. City lobbyists killed bills in two previous sessions that would have achieved this goal. Thomas and some other HPOA board members believed that many of HPD’s sharpest and brightest young officers were leaving to work in other law enforcement agencies, not wanting to contribute pension monies that they knew they would never get back unless they were around 20 years.

Whitmire got the measure passed. It was among the first HPD-related bills he successfully shepherded through the legislative process.

Besides Whitmire’s 1997 leadership in the meet-and-confer legislation, there was yet another major role he played in HPD history. That same year Bob Lanier was term-limited and leaving office, setting the state for another important mayoral election in which former Police Chief Lee P. Brown was a candidate.

Brown’s campaign aides placed the HPOU endorsement high on their priority list at a time when many officers remembered Brown as chief under Mayor Kathy Whitmire and, therefore, didn’t like him. Initially, John Whitmire wanted to stay out of the November city election completely and told Brown campaign manager Craig Varoga it would not serve the Union well to take sides so early.

Varoga was persistent: “It would be in the best interests of the Union and the officers if they do it now. They need a commitment from Brown and he will make them his highest priority.”

Sen. Whitmire later recalled, “He needed to be ‘a cops mayor,’ which the officers didn’t think he was going to be. They didn’t when he was chief.”

The senator facilitated a private meeting that included candidate Brown, then-HPOU President Hans Marticiuc, Union Executive Director Mark Clark and Varoga in which Brown agreed to support Meet and Confer in order to make Houston officers the best compensated in the state.

The next step was to convince the HPOU Board to endorse Brown and then get the rank and file to switch its support from Rob Mosbacher Jr., the other major candidate in the race, to Brown.

Marticiuc and Clark designated Whitmire to speak before the Board’s Political Action Committee. At first the reaction was skepticism. “You can’t make this guy mayor,” one PAC member said. “I’ll eat this pistol before I vote to endorse Lee Brown.”

“Do you want mustard or mayonnaise with it?” John Whitmire said, “because you’re going to be eating it.”

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HPOU,Our family wants to express our sincere “thank you” for the most beautiful plant arrangement at the time of our great loss.

The Castaneda Family

Houston Police Officers Union,Hope you had a happy holiday season and wishing you a happy New Year as well! I wanted to take a moment in the new year to thank you for your support during my fundraiser.

Montgomery County continues to be one of the fastest growing counties in the State of Texas. I look forward to the challenge of helping to keep it a safe and awesome place for families, businesses and retirees.

Warm regards,Brett W. Ligon

Montgomery County District Attorney

HPOU,Thank you very much for the plant sent to honor my dad at his funeral service.

Dad always was a supporter of the men and women in law enforcement. On behalf of my family, thank you very much.

Tim Baynes

Dear Police Family,Thank you for the card and thoughtful words.

Al & Alice

Dear HPOU,Thank you so much for your kind gesture and thoughtfulness of our son Alexander during this difficult time.

Warmest regards,Al & Alice Padilla

HPOU,Thank you for all you do for veterans. Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday Season!

Yours in comradeship,Keith King & Family

HPOU,Thank you very much for the beautiful plant.

The Travinwein Family

HPOU,The kind card and words will never be forgotten.

Sincerely,Senior Police Officer John W. Hadnot

HPOU,Thank you so much for the nice plant. It was very helpful during this time to have the support of my “brothers and sisters” in blue.

We are very appreciative!Sam Kennedy & the Kennedy Family

HPOU,Our family would like to thank you for your kindness and sympa-thy for the death of our mother, Marylou Hess.

The house plant will be a reminder and a comfort to all of us of your thoughtfulness.

God bless you. Donna & Marty Uphoff and Family

To HPOU,Thank you very much for the beautiful plant and the support of my blue family.

Nathan McDuell and Family

To Houston Police Officers Union,We appreciate your kindness in sending flowers for our Gina. Thank you for the concern and love shown us during this time. There is solace in the thoughtfulness of others.

George Hickey and the Morell Family

To the Houston Police Officers Union,On behalf of Greater Houston Concerns of Police Survivors, we would like to thank you for your donation for our recent Christmas party. Your continuing support allows us to bring joy and happi-ness to the families of our fallen officers.

Greater Houston COP wishes you a Happy New Year.Sincerely,

Carol Lane, President, Greater Houston COPS

HPOU,The family of Lenert C. Foehner acknowledges with grateful appreciation your kind expression of sympathy.

The Foehner Family

HPOU,Thank you so much for the lovely plant. May God bless the Houston Police Officers. You are Houston’s finest.

God bless.The Sammy Orlando Family

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SUPPORT PAC,IT PAYS BIG RETURNS

More BenefitsGary Blankinship, long-time solo motorcycle officer, was a Union board member (and later Union president) who recalled, “We were lucky to have a mayor who was a former chief, certainly aware of the pay and benefit problems and how far behind we were.

“I tell you, we thought we would really take a whipping by endorsing Brown. One of the people who came in and helped us sell the idea was Sen. Whitmire. He told the general membership meeting that ‘He’s been your friend for many years. This man will help you and the HPOU will do great things for its membership by supporting him for mayor.’ Whitmire sold that.”

And history shows that Mayor Brown came through with much-improved benefits for Houston police officers, giving approval to a contract that called for a three-step base pay increase over the next three years, putting officers on a pay scale equal to counterparts in other Texas cities.

So there’s a great joke that when Whitmire shows up around the Union complex, you can get out the mustard and mayo.

One look at the HPOU Political Action Committee’s endorsement list on this issue’s Editorial Page clearly illustrates the benefits of a strong PAC.

“A PAC is critical,” Whitmire said, because campaigns are expensive. There’s strength in numbers. All campaign contributions are designed for is access, an opportunity to talk to them (officeholders).”

This practice is extremely important at the state level when noting that negotiated salary and pension packages are ultimately approved by the Legislature when it meets every other year.

As things now stand, John Whitmire is the biggest single recipient of HPOU PAC contributions – an altogether fitting practice that always brings a satisfying smile to the senator’s face.

But Whitmire cringes at even the thought of these important issues being controlled at the City Council table where the mayor sets the agenda and could influence the ultimate holders of important city contracts.

“What they really ought to do is examine term limits,” he said. “They don’t have to stay long enough (beyond three two-year terms) to figure out how to pay or deal with the pension situation.

“They make a commitment to support legislation but don’t have to stay and figure out how to pay or deal with the situation. Doing away with term limits would not only require them to deal with the pension obligations of the city but also the general debt obligations which go way beyond any pension matters.”

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AndersonKenneth W. Anderson passed away Jan. 11. He is the father of Tangenea Miller-Ramla, an Inventory Management Clerk assigned to the Planning Division. Services were held Jan. 17 with burial in Houston National Cemetery.

BaynesJoel R. Baynes (87) passed away Dec. 29. He is the father of retired Sgt. Timothy D. Baynes, who retired from the Department May 25, 2013. Baynes was assigned to the Traffic Enforcement Division at the time of his retirement. Services were held Jan. 2 with burial in M. J. Dolly Cooper National Cemetery in Anderson, South Carolina.

BensonMs. Christie Elizabeth Benson passed away on Dec. 22. She is the daughter of Customer Service Clerk Robin C. Benson, assigned to the Records Division, and sister-in-law of Office Supervisor Marcus A. Davis II, assigned to the Records Division. Services were held Jan. 8.

BernalMr. Francisco Bernal, Jr. passed away on Jan. 12. He is the father of Senior Police Officer Arturo Bernal, assigned to the Burglary and Theft Division, and Police Dispatcher Francisco A. Bernal, assigned to the Metro Police Department.

BreidingMr. Robert A. Breiding, Sr. passed away on Jan. 16. He is the father of Senior Police Officer Robert A. Breiding, Jr., assigned to the Narcotics Division. A private memorial service was held.

BrownMable B. Brown (78) passed away Jan. 19. She is the mother of Senior Office Assistant Maureen C. Rivers, assigned to the Northeast Division. Services were held Feb. 1 with burial in Kansas City, Missouri.

DavillaMrs. Antonia F. Davila, 90, passed away Jan. 20. She is the grandmother of Mobility Service Officer Robert Davila, assigned to the Traffic Enforcement Division.Services were held Jan. 28 in San Antonio with burial in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

DavisMr. Morris Leon Davis, 63, passed away on Dec. 20. He is the father of Jail Attendant Tracy L. Davis. Services were held Jan. 13.

DyessRetired Police Officer Carl D. Dyess passed away Jan. 5. Officer Dyess joined the Department April 20, 1981 as a member of Academy Class No. 97. He was assigned Northeast, Narcotics, Central, and retired August 21, 2005. Services were held Jan. 10.

FrancesMrs. Ira Mae Frances, 84, passed away on Jan. 25. She is the mother of Senior Police Officer Sonya R. Johnson-Rhodes, assigned to the Auto Theft Division and grandmother of Police Officer Shaneequa “Nikki” Johnson, assigned to the Northeast Division. Services were held Feb. 1 with burial in Paradise North Cemetery.

GilbertMr. Thomas Andrew Gilbert, Sr., passed away Dec. 30. He is the father of Police Officer Rebecca A. Brown, assigned to the Mental Health Division. Services were held Jan. 2.

HarpMrs. Imogene Harp passed away on Jan. 4. She is the mother of Police Officer Michael Jerome Harp, assigned to the Southwest Division. Services were held Jan. 10 with burial in Houston National Cemetery. Mrs. Harp was preceded in death by her husband, Mr. Miller Harp, Sr. who passed away in 2007.

HessMrs. Marylou Hess, 81, passed away on Jan. 10. She is the mother of Senior Police Officer Donna M. Uphoff, assigned to the Training Academy, and mother-in-law of Senior Police Officer Marty A. Uphoff, assigned to the Auto Theft Division. Services were held on Jan. 16 with burial in South Marmora, New Jersey.

HickeyMrs. Gina Lynn Hickey passed away on New Year’s Day. She is the wife of Senior Police Officer George A. Hickey Jr., assigned to the Criminal Intelligence Division. Services were held Jan. 6.

IrvingMr. Philip Irving, Sr. passed away. He is the father of Mobility Service Officer Craig Anthony Irving, assigned to the Traffic Enforcement Division. Services were held Jan. 18.

JanczakMrs. Anzelma Marie Kmiec Janczak passed away on Jan. 21. She is the mother of Sgt. Dominick Pribilski, assigned to the Special Operations Division. She is also survived by her son, Joseph Janczak and daughter, Janet Myers. Services were held Jan. 25 with burial in Chappell Hill.

JohnsonMrs. Bernice Johnson-Campbell passed away on Dec. 19. She is the mother of retired Sgt. William “Bruce” Johnson. Johnson retired being last assigned to the Public Affairs Office and the Commander of the Honor Guard. Services were held Jan. 4 with burial in Texarkana.

Obituaries

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ObituariesJohnsonVernon C. Johnson (93) passed away Jan. 4. He is the grandfather of Javena M. Armstrong, an Administrative Associate assigned to the Records Division, and Sherry Hammond, a Jail Attendant. Services were held Jan. 18 with burial in San Leandro, California.

LeggGwendolyn Legg passed away Dec. 28. She is the wife of retired Police Officer James H. Legg, who retired from the Department March 22, 1991, and the mother of Senior Police Officer Michael J. Legg, assigned to the Northwest Division. Services were held Jan. 4 in Hockley.

MeyersJohn C. Meyers, III, passed away on the morning of New Year’s Day. He is the son of Sgt. John C. Meyers Jr., assigned to the Northeast Division.

OrlandoRetired Senior Police Officer Sammy R. Orlando passed away on Dec. 26. He joined the department on Nov. 27, 1978, and retired on January 1, 2003. During his career, he served in the Park Patrol and the Special Operations Division. He is survived by his wife, Mildred Orlando.

PiccoloMr. Mike Joseph Piccolo, 93, passed away on Jan. 23. He is the father of retired Senior Police Officer Sam M. Piccolo. Services were held Jan. 27 with burial in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery.

PriceRetired Police Officer Sanford A. “SAP” Price (91) passed away on Jan. 15. Officer Price joined the Department on Nov. 16, 1950, as a member of Academy Class No. 6. He was last assigned to Northeast when he retired March 17, 1984. Sanford Price is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Price and his daughter Regina Sheets. Two of Sanford Price’s brothers followed him to the Department - Carl S. Price and Jerrel A. Price, both of whom graduated HPD Class No. 7 on Oct. 12, 1951. Carl Price (Deceased) retired on Jan. 3, 1977, Jerrel Price (Northeast) retired on Aug. 10, 1981. The Price brothers had a brother-in-law follow them to the Houston Police Department. Troy R. Driskell graduated HPD Class No. 12 on Aug. 8, 1955 and retired as a sergeant on April 2, 1979. Sanford Price had two nephews that followed him to HPD. Michael G. Price graduated HPD Class No. 70 on June 9, 1975 and retired as a sergeant on April 24, 2004. The final nephew that followed Sanford Price to HPD is Capt. Carl W. Driskell and is assigned to the Airport Division. A memorial service was held Jan. 21.

SchulteaPolice Officer Joseph Milton Schultea, Sr.passed away on Jan. 10. Officer Schultea joined Police Academy Class No. 14 on May 21, 1956. He later served as the Chief of Police of the Village Police Department serving that department from 1959 to 1988. He also served as the Chief of Police of the Tomball Police Department from 1990 to 1992. Chief Schultea returned to the Houston Police Department from 1996 to 2004 as an Administrative Specialist in the Planning and Research Division. He is survived by his wife, Peggy Schultea and children, retired Chief Joseph Milton Schultea, Jr. of the Patten Village Police Department, Sgt. James R. Schultea (PD-C) and Cynthia Schultea-Cortinas who is married to Senior Police Officer James H. Cortinas, assigned to the Vehicular Crimes Division. He is the brother of retired Sgt. Vollie H. Schultea, Jr.and uncle of Police Officer Christopher Bruce, assigned to the North Division, Deputy Paul Bruce, Jr., assigned to the Harris County Sheriff Department and Deputy Vollie H. Schultea III of Harris County Constable Office, Precinct 1, and the brother-in-law of retired Lt. Robert W. Bruce of the Panorama Village Police Department. Services were held Jan. 15 with burial in Brookside Cemetery.

SylvesterChristopher Patrick Sylvester, Jr. passed away on Jan. 3. He is the infant grandson of Senior Police Telecommunicator Gloria D. Harrison, assigned to the Emergency Communications Division. Graveside ser-vices were held Jan. 11 in Brookside Cemetery.

VasselReverend Clarence Vassel Sr. passed away Jan. 5. He is the father of Senior Police Officer Clarence E. Vassel Jr., assigned to Central Patrol. Services were held Jan. 11 with burial in Paradise Cemetery in Houston.

ZepedaMrs. Julia Zepeda-Lola passed away on Jan. 15. She is the mother of Mechanic III Mario J. Zepeda assigned to the Fleet Management Division. Services were held Jan. 19.

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March 24, 1938Heights Boulevard Scene of Murder-SuicideThat Took the Life of Officer Marion Palmer

Lest We ForgetBy NELSON ZOCH

Shortly before noon on Thursday, March 24, 1938, Houston Police Officer Marion Palmer and his cruising partner, Officer H. D. Roberts, were sent to a location at 1510 Heights Boulevard. It was reported that there was a crazed African-American male in the garage apartment behind this location, which carried the address of 1512 Heights.

Mrs. J. E. Cleveland, the resident at 1510 Heights, reported to police that her maid, Elvina Zink, and Elvina’s husband, Light Zink, who lived in the servant quarters behind her residence, had recently been experiencing domestic difficulties. She called the police when Elvina came running into her house saying that her husband was crazy and had locked her out of the room. Mrs. Cleveland was aware of Light Zink being on her premises, as he had on occasion performed yard and garden duties for her.

Mrs. Cleveland was quoted in the local newspaper as saying, “I heard the officers arrive and heard them begging for Light to come out of the room. They told him that they would not hurt him, but he would not open the door. Then, one of the officers (Palmer) crawled out on a fence in the back. He must have looked in the window because I heard a shot and then the officer fell.”

Mrs. Cleveland, whose sixty-five-year-old invalid mother, Mrs. M. L. Rasberry, was in her residence at the time of this tragedy, continued, “The other officer (Roberts) ran to the ledge. He had his gun out and seemed to be waiting for a chance to get a shot at Light. Just about fifteen seconds after the first shot, there was another shot. Then the officer ran up to the door of the room and broke it open. I called police headquarters again and reported that the officer had been shot.”

Officer Palmer was rushed to Heights Hospital, where he died shortly after his arrival. He had been struck by shotgun pellets in the head and chest.

Officer Roberts, obviously distraught over the death of his partner, related the following account: “We were told that the suspect was in the apartment. We knocked on the door, but he refused to let us in. We stood there for awhile, knocking, then I smelled gas escaping. ‘He’s turned on the gas, I told my partner. You

watch the back and I’ll turn the gas off.’ As I went to the gas meter beside the house in front of the garage apartment, my partner walked around to the back of the apartment.

“A few minutes later I heard a shot and I ran to the rear of the house and found my partner lying at the foot of a ladder in a pool of blood. The suspect had shot once with a shotgun. As I was running back, I heard a second shot. I ran up the stairs to the garage apartment and burst the door open. I found the suspect lying dead, with half of his head blown away. He was clad in khaki pants and was lying against the wall of the tiny apartment. He clutched an old double-barrel shotgun. Both shells had been fired.”

Roberts also stated that “the apartment was filled with gas when I broke into the door. There was a suicide note, obviously written by the suspect, lying on an open Bible on a little table by the open window out of which the suspect fired, killing my partner. The Bible was opened at the 15th chapter of Jeremiah. Verse 14 read, ‘And I will make thee pass with thine enemy into a land which you knoweth not, for a fire is kindled in mine anger which shall burn you.’ ”

Officer Marion E. Palmer Sr. is believed to have been born in Springfield, Ohio, on March

20, possibly in 1891. He died at the age of forty-seven, had been a resident of Houston for eighteen years and was a member of the Houston Police Department since June 16, 1930. He worked out of the West End substation. He was a member of Tucker Lodge No. 297, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.

Officer Palmer was survived by his wife Christine and two sons, Harold and Marion E. Palmer Jr., his mother, Mrs. W. D. Naus of Forest, Ohio, two sisters, Mrs. R. A. Weller of Cleveland, Ohio, and Mrs. Bernice Jones of Forest, Ohio, as well as a half-brother, R. C. Howard, of Phoenix, Arizona.

Funeral services for Officer Marion E. Palmer were held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26, 1938, at the Heights Funeral Home Chapel, just a block from the scene of his tragic death. The Reverend R. H. Tharp officiated. Burial followed at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery.

The gravesite of Officer Palmer was located at Forest Park Lawndale. His marker reads as follows and also proudly displays the Masonic symbol:

Our beloved husbandAnd daddy

MARION E. PALMER SR.1891-1938

On the same gravesite at Forest Park Lawndale, there lies a woman, Christine Connett. Mrs. Palmer apparently remarried and is interred there along with both of her husbands, Officer Palmer and Alvin Connett. Both Mr. and Mrs. Connett died in 1974, thirty-six years after this tragedy. Mrs. Connett was seventy-six years of age.

The obituary of Mrs. Christine Connett indicated that in 1974, both of her sons survived her. Harold lived in San Antonio while Marion Junior resided in Houston. Additionally, she was survived by Harold’s children, grandsons David and Paul Palmer and granddaughter Patti Palmer and Marion Junior’s daughter, Linda Sue Soukup, as well as one great grandson, Marion Soukup. Marion Soukup is an obvious namesake for his grandfather and great grandfather.

Linda Sue was located, but did not have much information on the remaining family except to state that both her father and her Uncle Harold were both deceased.

Officer Marion E. Palmer Sr

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Keep Calm & Carry On –it May be Good for your portfolio. Provided by Brian Craft, AIF

Why do so many retirement sav-ers underperform the market? From 1993-2012, the S&P 500 achieved a (compound) annual return of 8.2%. Across the same period, the average investor in U.S. stock funds got only a 4.3% return. What accounts for the difference? One big factor is impatience. It is expressed in emotional investment decisions. Too many people trade themselves into mediocrity – they react to the head-lines of the moment, buy high and sell low. Dalbar, the noted investing research firm, estimates this accounts for 2.0% of the above-mentioned 3.9%

difference. (It attributes another 1.3% of the gap to mutual fund operat-ing costs and the remaining 0.6% to portfolio turnover within funds.) Impatience encourages market timing. Some investors consider “buy and hold” passé, but it has certainly worked well since 2009. How did market timing work in comparison? Citing Investment Company Institute calculations of equity fund asset inflows and outflows from January 2007 to August 2012, U.S. News & World Report notes that it didn’t work very well. During that stretch, mutual fund investors either sold market declines or bought after market ascents 57.4% of the time. In addition, while the total return of the S&P 500 (i.e., including dividends) was -0.13% in this time frame, equity mutual fund inves-tors lost 35.8% (adjusted for dividends). Most of us don’t “buy and hold” for very long. Dalbar’s latest report notes that the average equity fund investor owned his or her shares for 3.3 years during 1993-2012. Investors in balanced funds (a mix of stocks and bonds), held on a bit longer, an average of about 4.5 years. They didn’t come out any bet-ter – the report notes that while the Barclays Aggregate Bond Index notched a 6.3% annual return over the 20-year period studied, the average balanced fund investor’s annual return was only 2.3% . What’s the takeaway here for retirement savers? This amounts to a decent

argument for dollar cost averaging – the slow and steady investment method by which you buy shares over time, a little at a time. When the market sinks, you are buying more shares as they have become cheaper – meaning you will own more (quality) shares when they regain value. It also shows you the value of thinking long-term. When you save for retirement, you are saving with a time horizon in mind. A distant horizon. Consistent saving from a (relatively) early age and the power of compounding can potentially have much greater effect on the outcome of your retirement savings effort than investment selection. Keep your eyes on your long-term retirement planning objectives, not the short-term volatility highlighted in the headlines of the moment. PSFG representatives, your HPOU Deferred Comp Provider, may be reached at 832-200-3440

Investing regular amounts steadily over time (dollar-cost averaging) may lower your average per-share cost. Periodic investment programs cannot guarantee profit or protect against loss in a declining market. Dollar-cost averaging is a long-term strategy involving continuous investing, regardless of fluctuating price levels, and, as a result, you should consider your financial ability to continue to invest during periods of fluctuating price levels.

How Impatience Hurts Retirement Saving

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If anyone knows of friends or family members who might have photographs that we are missing, please call The Badge & Gun at 713-223-4286.

Let us Never Forget...

February - Houston Police Officers Slain in the Line of Duty

Johnnie Davidson 02-19-1921

Herbert N. Planer 02-18-1965

Gonsalo O. Gonzales 02-28-1960

Charles R. Coates 02-23-1983

Fred Maddox, Jr. 02-24-1954

Andrew Winzer 02-18-1988

In Memory of…

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Check out the new HPOU website at hpou.org

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Support PAC, It Pays Big Returns

By LISA GARMEZYStruck down by PTSD, Officer Thomas Bean of Newtown, Connecticut can keep his job after all. His department, acknowledging his permanent disability, was going to fire him but compassion won out. “Let the guy ride a desk” was the prevailing sentiment. No one questioned that working the scene where 20 first graders died could be crippling.

No one doubts the horror of the Twin Towers disaster either. But as this column is being written, 72 officers from NYPD are in the headlines, arrested for fraudulent disability claims related to Sept. 11. Supposedly a prosecutor, a private consultant and two former officers coached officers, firefighters and sanitation workers on how to “fake symptoms of depression, panic attacks and post-traumatic stress” (New York Times, 1/10/14).

One arraigned officer, Glenn Lieberman, claimed PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Although Officer Lieberman told Social Security doctors he was too ill to work or travel, according to prosecutors he runs three businesses, rents a house in Florida and has made 20 trips to Europe and Central American. They point to a social media photo of him grinning on a water scooter to show that his claim is bogus. (Lieberman claims it predates 9/11.)

The courts will decide the case. But can you have PTSD and go jet-skiing? Are you a fraud if you get out and enjoy yourself or run a side business?

Officers need answers because PTSD is common. Undiagnosed and self-medicating, HPD colleagues with PTSD are under the radar among us.

Consider that government statistics say that about half of Americans experience traumatic events, and of them, eight percent of men and 20 percent of women will develop PTSD. Trauma, after all, is not so rare. Every day people get assaulted, get into car crashes and live through natural disasters. Soldiers go to war and police officers risk their lives.

Recognizing PTSD

You know the classic symptoms of PTSD from in-service classes. The first is AVOIDANCE of trauma reminders, as when people can’t watch war movies, or lose their memory for the event. They are stuck on alert mode and therefore show unusual AROUSAL—often they’re easily startled and jumpy. Irritable behavior, problems sleeping and trouble concentrating are all connected to that excessive arousal.

PTSD also means RE-EXPERIENCING the traumatic event in some way—in nightmares, flashbacks or just frequent unwanted thoughts or images. Bean sees the crime scene out of the corner of his eye when having unrelated conversations. Some things that are seen cannot be unseen.

Last, NEGATIVE CHANGES IN MOOD OR THINKING must be present. Persistent negative beliefs about one’s self count, such as, “It was all my fault.” Constant anger, guilt, disgust or shame may trouble the person. He or she may simply feel numb.

Is it Disabling?

In spite of all that, PTSD may or may not be disabling. The disorder causes significant problems: if not, it isn’t diagnosed. But people with PTSD can keep it together in the workplace and lose it at home, or vice versa.

Individuals with PTSD may be unable to work at their usual careers – say, policing -- but still able to work elsewhere. Thomas Bean might thrive for years in a quiet sales job in a sporting goods store—until the day a creepy kid comes in to buy a rifle and symptoms get triggered again. PTSD can come and go.

If two officers respond to the same scene, one can have serious problems while the other escapes unimpaired. Their responsibilities is not identical, nor are their exposure to disturbing sights, smells and sounds.

At Sandy Hook Elementary, for example, first responders checked classrooms. In the second room checked, the school resource officer found an uninjured child among her dead classmates and left her in relative safety. Tough call.

Responders differ too. Detective Jason Frank of Newtown grieved when he saw the Christmas ornaments the children had made, set out by the window to dry before being carried proudly home. He said the art projects were “heart-breaking” because he has a six-year-old himself. In war, some soldiers are invigorated by the sense of purpose, the excitement and the camaraderie, while others struggle with family problems halfway around the world.

You are more likely to get PTSD if you are a female, poor or uneducated when catastrophe strikes. There is probably a genetic component: a family history of mental illness also makes you more vulnerable. “Recovery environments” vary. The responses of family and friends, the department and the community can help or hinder healing.

A New Diagnosis

There’s no such thing as “walking PTSD,” but there should be. Many people are out and about who don’t have symptoms that interfere with their jobs, at least not yet. They may always keep it together at work, they may develop more symptoms over the years, or they may heal. Symptoms of PTSD typically start within three months of the trauma, but can build gradually over time.

Appearances can deceive. “I worked with him and he was fine,” shouldn’t carry much weight, especially since the illness can be delayed or erratic. And yes, people with PTSD can and should jet-ski. Misery lifts when people force themselves to resume their usual activities, not when they stay home and stare at the four walls. Bottom line: PTSD is all around us. Hard decisions must be made about who has it, with huge sums at stake. For those who are not charged with these decisions, let’s not rush to judge. We want to be a healthy recovery environment, offering, in Dr. Verdi Lethermon’s words, “support without stigma.”

Psych ServicesPTSD—Hidden in Plain Sight

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Apartment Specials! Licensed Real Estate Agent with Texas Apt. Locators. Tammy (HPD wife)281-507-9405 or Tammy@texashomeagent.net Free service! Houston/Galveston area. Ask about rebates. Sorry, can’t help with free apartment extra jobs but, I do have a database full of apartments offering officer discounts. I work with bad credit, broken leases, large dogs, students, & all priceranges. Save time and money going with a locator.

Wooded Interior Lot in Westwood Shores on Lake Livingston, golf, camping, tennis, swimming, and boating $1200, Please call Kim 832-768-6612

New Listing! - $259,900 Charming custom built brick home finished in 1999 on 1.5 acres of oaks, cedars, youpons and abundant wildlife. 3/2/2, CH/CA, recent upgrades including Silestone Countertops, Polywood Plantation Shutters throughout, Tile and Laminate flooring, some carpet. Well, Septic, and La Grange ISD. Six miles South of La Grange off FM 609 on Valenta Rd., one mile down, red brick house on left. Owners relocating. Offered by Realtor/Owner Vickey Grieger - (979) 249-667

Great country get away. Small 2 bd/2 ba house near Hearne Tx. Near plenty of hunting leases, golf course, and brazos river fishing. 450/month plus deposit. Greg @ 281-330-7778

2 Bedroom 2 Bath Condo Tapatio Springs in Boerne, Texas Completely furnished.Call Retired Sgt H.A. Stevens 877-522-4455

One Acre Lot in Elgin, TX Off Hwy.95, Near 290. The lot is in an exclusive and restricted gated community (The Arbor of Dogwood Creek). The subdivision has paved road, tennis court, jogging trail, pavillion and more. This wooded lot is located in a cul-de-sac. Asking $26,000. Contact M.L. Sistrunk 281-788-0256

Great Home in Rockport, TX Built in 2005, this Comfortable 3/2 bath single story stucco home is located in a gated community on 12.33 acres. Amenities include: tile roof, heated pool and hot tub, attached oversized 3 car garage (30x35), and a large detached metal workshop (36x36) with large garage doors and a 15 ton hoist, covered patio areas both in front and back, a circle drive, and plenty of room for parking. There are two stocked fishing ponds, and horses are allowed. Priced to sell. For info contact Rebecca Lee @ 361-729-4404, Coldwell Banker MLS ID#113208.

What an amazing deal! Charming three bed-room two bath patio home located in a great gated community at 3123 Lavender Candle Dr. Spring, TX. Property includes a two car attached garage, master suite, cozy fire place and much more for only $1,300.00 month. Price is negotiable. Please contact Officer Edith Maldonado at 832-434-4266 or edi2m@aol.com.

Summer Rental Galveston Beach House. 3br 2 bath. Sleeps 8-10. Great Gulf view just steps from the beach. Newly renovated/updated. H.L. Richter HPD (ret) 936-329-1456

1 Bedroom Unit For Rent Village Wood Town homes 1529 Wirt Rd/Spring Branch. Utilities paid. Basic cable. Excellent Location. Joe Scott 713-935-9137

Lake Livingston Townhome 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bath For rent Call 832-876-5511 or 713-459-8111

House for Rent: Bear Creek Area. 3 Bedroom/Game room. Cy-Fair School District. Swimming Pool. $1095.00/month. Call 832-282-5216.

Miscellaneous New Listing For Salesolid wood twin bedroom set, many piecesCall 713-459-8111

Cemetary Lot, Grand View Memorial Park in Pasadena. Lot 157. Garden of Devotion$1,200. Contact Amy 832-729-1975.Crypt For Sale Forest Park Westheimer Excellent location “Inside” Ready to sell 281-686-9490

Brookside Cemetery Spaces 2,3 $2750 per space. Section 234 (old section) catdog02@gmail.comC.V. Thompson 254-947-8524

Remington 700 .243 Win caliber. BDL Custom Deluxe model Bolt Action rif le with 22” barrel, gloss finish, 5-shot capacity, and walnut stock.Mint in box. Paid $925 in 1996. Asking $675.Call James 713-503-5107

Garden Park Cemetery, Conroe, Texas. Lawn Crypt section 4 , lot 30, spaces 7&8. Very well kept Cemetery, 4,000 ea. Call Doug Bell 817-573-1675

Two cemetery lots. Grand view Memorial Park 8500 Spencer highway in Pasadena. The cemetery sells the lots for $4495 each. We are asking $6500 for both. Call Charlie Everts 409 739-1206

Handcrafted leather cross key chains tooled and personalized, $1.50 each (including shipping). Limit 5 letters, chain included. Other products available. For more info or to order call Justin, 14 year old son of an HPD Officer, at 936-499-4385

Westwood Campng Club Membership, Trinity, Texas, $3,500.00 / OBO Retired Officer A.L. Albritton 936-890-4374 or 830-221-5152

FREE MONEY: $2,000 COMMISSION REBATE to HPOU members when theybuy or sell a house. James Cline, Realtor,281-548-3131 or www.2cashback.org

Magnetic Signs white 24”x6” with“POLICE” in bold 21”x5” black letters. Pair $25. Call 936-327-3205 HPD Parents company

ServicesBUSINESS OWNERSHIP- THE NEXT THING IN FITNESS, MASSAGE & NUTRITION Own you Business and Start Taking Advantage of the Coming Tipping Point with Insurance Mandates. "Efficiency Wellness” is an all inclusive approach to wellness that addresses today’s busy lifestyle. You Retain 100% control of Your Business, No Franchise or Royalty Fees. TEXANS HELPING TEXANS - U.S. Headquarters in Brookshire Texas. Master Territories Still Open to include Houston and U.S. Locations. Start and Fund this Business using Tax Free Monies from your Retirement Accounts. Come see our Studio in Katy Texas and experience the Next Generation in Self Directed Health and Wellness. Husband to a 23 year Police Veteran and my hopes are to have short 2-way learning conversation. Please contact troy@wellnesscenterdevelopers.com visit the website www.WellnessCenterDevelopers.com or call 713-253-2923

De’Vine Events Planning a wedding is stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. For all your wedding needs, Contact Diana, Certified Wedding Consultant at (713) 598-4931.

For All Your Gun and Ammo NeedsBlack Gold Guns & Ammo. Buy, Sell & Trade713-694-4887

Aurelia E Weems, CPA formerly Dumar Consulting returns to HPOU for its 9th Year to provide discounted tax services for officers and their families. Please watch for us on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00am-2:00pm at the Union building at 1602 State Street. We are available to meet at any HPD location for the ease of the officers as well as accept information via email or fax.If you have any questions please contact Aurelia E Weems, CPA at (936) 273-1188 or (281) 363-4555 or visit us on the web at www.aewcpa.com

TAX PREPARATION From Home Office. Low Fees - $65 up. L. Dexter Price, CPA. ldexterprice@comcast.net 713.826.4777

Are you tired of making the same New Year's Resolution? Are you ready to take control of your life? We have solutions, take control of your health, time & finances! For more info. Please call: Stacy @ 832-651-5739

Residential and Commercial RemodelingKitchens and counter tops, ceramic and wood floors, interior and exterior painting, handy-man services, with discount prices for the Law Enforcement family. Larry Baimbridge, Sr. 281-655-4880

Gold Rush Tax Service 281-399-3188Same Day Refund Special Police Officer RatesBrenda Webb (retired officer’s wife)brenda@goldrushtax.com

Tax Preparation From Home Office 40% - 50% Lower Fees. Contact for estimate L. Dexter Price, CPA ldexterprice@comcast.net 832.243.1477

Main Street Builders Residential and Commercial Construction Licensed and Insured. David Webber (owner) Rt HPD 832-618-2009

Gone Fishing wantafishtx.com Jim Hobson-retired 936-615-2777 or love2fish@suddenlink.net

Vickey Grieger, Realtor Cell: (979) 249-6675 Fax: (775) 373-5048 texashousemouse@yahoo.comTSR Country Properties 115 West Fayette Street, Fayetteville, TX 78940 Office (979) 378-2222 Fax (979) 378-2240

Hunting Weekend Expedition Affordable prices, private property. Whitetails, exotics & pigs. Call for details Officer Mike Gonzalez 713-702-5838 or email gmiguel@att.net

Why rent when you can own while keeping your monthly payments about the same. For more info call 281-914-7351

Houston’s Wedding People Wedding Services, Wedding cakes, Decorations, Chair covers, Favors Call today for free taste testing and consultation 281-881-5027 www.houstonsweddingpeople.com

Mini Storage Police officer discount.290 area. Call Dave for details 713-460-4611

MOMs Helping MOMs Work from Home! Computer Required. www.myhomebiz4u.com

Paula A. Weatherly Independent Avon Representative To buy or sell AVON, contact me! Lots of great products at unbelievable prices! Start your AVON career for only $10! a97ag@earthlink.net or www.youravon.com/pweatherly 281-852-8605 Smile! Jesus Loves Us!

Discount on Moonwalk RentalsRent a moonwalk for your special occasion.We deliver and pick up so you don’t have to! Please call Officer Chris DeAlejandro at 713-922-8166 or Carla DeAlejandro at 713-384-5361. Please let us know that you’re Law Enforcement Personal.

All natural skin care products for the whole family. Handmade soaps, lotions and body scrubs will nourish you skin. Great for gifts and everyday use. Ask about our Mother’s Day special. Call Lisa and Jim at 936-648-6145 or www.goodcleanlivin.com.

Home Inspections by TexaSpec Inspections.Free foundation evaluations and alarm systems for HPD. State Licensed ICC Certified Inspector.281-370-6803.

Have a special day coming up? Let us make it even more special with Eten Candy custom chocolate candies. From birthdays, weddings, and every holiday. We even do bachelor and bachelorette parties. Why not have party favors that everyone will remember and talk about. Just e-mail Jessica at etencandy@sbcglobal.com for more info. Candies are made to suit your needs

Need help in forgiving or forgetting.Call Linda McKenzie for more info on Christ centered counseling services 282-261-2952or 832-250-6016 where everyone is given the opportunity for a fresh start

Your Travel, Tax, Health, & Nutritional needs. We can get you where you want to go, and keep you healthy doing it. Contact Greg & Cathy Lewis 832-969-0502 or 832 969 0503

“Photos to Albums”. Your memories creatively designed in an album. Any occasion, celebration, family trips. Call Theresa Arlen at 832-229-6292.

Piano Lessons: 30 minutes for $15.00.Student Recitals. Call Daniel Jones at281-487-9328 or cell: 713-557-4362

Calling All Mothers of Houston Police Officers. As a proud mother of a Houston Police Officer, I am interested in starting a support group of Mothers of Houston Police Officers (MOHPO). I need your support. Please call me for more info: Frances Runnels at 713-436-0794 after 6 p.m. weekdays.

Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers A place for Christians to come together and encourage one another. For information about other activities visit www.fcpohouston.org.

WantedWidow of police officer looking for vehicleused/good condition under $2000.00. Could owner carry notes. 281.782.3144

HPD Commemorative Pistols I'm looking to buy one or two of the HPD commemorative pistols. I seem to recall they were offered around 1978-1982. Joe Salvato (Ret.) 281-728-0131

Wanted Beretta 9MM FS “Police Special” (Black or Stainless) Please call Zach (832) 457-0647.

Wanted Top CA$H Paid for your used or unwanted guns. Blackgold Guns & Ammo 713 694 4867 Police Officer Owned

Colt .45 HPD Commemorative PistolCall Paul 713-240-4672

2 Horse Trailer or 14 - 16 ft. Stock Trailer. Bumper Pull. R. Webb 281-399-1212 Cell 713-822-1867

Looking for a home or bare land? Contact retired officer, DALLAS BINGLEY at Kerrville Realty - in the Heart of the Texas Hill Country: (O) 830-896-2200 or (M) 830-739-1766 dallasb@dallasb.name

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