Well, here we go again, it looks like spring again, but it is Texas so I think I will wait until lunch to make up my mind on the weather. We have been really busy and I am looking forward to our next grand jury. We have some 13 individuals we are looking to indict on narcotic charges alone as well as a group of individuals who we believe are involved in the burglary ring that struck last year in the northwest part of our county.

We have been very active on patrol and the first two months have shown it. In the next Cops Corner we will have some numbers for you concerning field arrests and cases pending with this office. We have been working the back -country as well as the highways and we are beginning to see some interesting patterns develop throughout the county. Proactive patrol can benefit a community in many different ways, and in the coming months, we hope to fine-tune our patrol to different areas with different needs in order to achieve the goals we have set for these different areas.

I have been working on our new community policing programs and I need your help. I am looking for some individuals to assist the Sheriff's Office with these programs. If you are interested and would like to assist in some way, please contact me at 325-372-8722 or call the office at 325-372-5551 and leave your name and number and I will get back with you. We have needs from assisting on a committee to decide where to best distribute our limited resources, assist with gathering resources and money and actually working inside the schools and or with community policing events. Please contact me as soon as possible.

On to the next topic and that is information being placed in the newspaper and or released to the press. It is very important to realize that the information concerning suspects that I put in the paper is not to embarrass anyone or to cause problems for the victims and or families. It is simply to alert the public to the fact that a violent and or dangerous crime has been committed and for the public to be aware of that fact and who has been accused of this crime. When and if those individuals make bond, it is my duty to ensure that the public is aware of the crime that the individual or individuals have been accused of and can ensure that their children and or families are protected. In every community around us, not only are their names and stories put in the paper, but their pictures as well. These same individuals are also put on TV as breaking news stories for the public to be aware of. I have already been working on a jail report for the newspaper which will list every arrest, but these specific crimes stand out and need individual attention. No one worries more about the victims than we do here in law enforcement, and we pray that each of us will remember to keep what you know or what you think you know to yourselves.

Oh yeah, about problems with articles, come on and give me a break. We all know that there are misprints and things of that nature. The lady reporter who did the TV interview with me stated meth lab busts, instead of street level busts and that was just a mistake. We all make them, we all know that, but sometimes some individuals get a bone in their teeth and can't let it go. If I have made a mistake with something, please be sure to bring it to my attention and I will fix it as soon as I can. Yet, I have been so busy that I cannot get a Sheriff's Report out each and every week, so understand that I will correct these problems as soon as I can get to them. Just for the record, the numbers that I presented to the commissioner's court were correct, the word convictions, should have been arrests. I do apologize for this mistake and will work as hard as I can, not to make another one, well not in the next few minutes anyway.

The Sheriff's Office staff have been working hard getting all the kinks out of our new system and man has that been a chore. I just promoted Deputy Tony Jacobs to patrol Sergeant and know that he will do an excellent job for our community. Once again we here at the Sheriff's Office would invite you to give us a call if you need anything. You can reach us at 325-372-5551 or 325-372-5432. Thank you for your support and your prayers.