Chief Thoughts: Rebuilding

When I was hired, I was given the title of Chief Civilian Police Administrator and was given six months to get my Police certification in Texas also that I needed to hire some Officers. What I discovered was that I had one full-time officer and one reserve. We had to rely on the Young County Sherriff Office to help patrol our city.   Since I was not certified in Texas, I could not perform any police actions.  

I was given the task of rebuilding the Police Department and rebuilding the relationship with the community. Luckily, I have been able to obtain my Texas Certification and was given the Title of Chief of Police.   Hiring Officers has been a challenge finding Officers that wanted to be a part of the Olney community. I believe I have been fortunate enough to do this.   I now have four full-time Officers and one reserve with still needing one full time and a couple more reserves.   

Starting anew, I decided to change our City Police Patch.   I tried to incorporate the community in the patch and to have some of what Olney is known for.  I included the airplane for Air Tractor, a major employer of our community. I included the Dove for the One-Armed Dove Hunt, held each year and I included the Bear Cub Paw the mascot of our school.   I also changed the badge from a 7-point star to an oval badge, boldly displaying the City of Olney.   These changes might seem minor, but I believe it will go a long way on our throwing out the old and starting new.   I wanted a patch that showed Olney pride and that the Police Department was a part of this community.

It is my goal to continue to build trust and relationship with the citizens of Olney