Friday, March 29, 2024

Officer of the Year

Each year the Southlake Rotary Club honors a member of Southlake’s Department of Public Safety during its annual DPS Appreciation Luncheon.  Numerous nominations were submitted for “Officer of the Year.” Chief Stephen Mylett said, “It was tough choice for the committee to make its final selection but I am very proud to announce this year’s recipient is Officer Frank Rogers.”

Officer Rogers was honored this past weekend at the Rotary Club’s Appreciation Celebration at Town Square.  His wife Pam and children, Benjamin, Gavin, and Raven were all present to see him receive the award.  Officer Rogers said, “I’m still on cloud nine and a little choked up that my Sergeant and fellow officers nominated me for such a prestigious award.  It is such an honor for me and my family!”

Christine Singh, Chair of the Rotary Club event said, “We are so grateful to our Southlake DPS Firefighters and Police Officers.  This is our chance to recognize their contributions!”  The Southlake Rotary Club honors firefighters, police officers and support personnel and volunteers with its annual DPS Appreciation Celebration.

Officer Rogers was nominated for “Officer of the Year” for his great police work in helping to track down and capture two burglars who had been targeting victims in the City of Southlake.  The original offense occurred on January 10th, 2012 where Officer Rogers met with the victim who said someone had entered had her vehicle and stolen her wallet while she was dropping her child off at school. Cash and several credit cards were taken.  Officer Rogers obtained detailed information and later received a phone call from the victim stating that her credit cards had just been used nearby.

Officer Rogers responded to those locations and obtained valuable evidence such as the description of the person(s) that had made the purchases with the victim’s credit card along with the color and type of vehicle that they had left the location in. All the information was documented and placed into his report.

About eight days later On January 18th, Officer Rogers was on patrol in the 600 block of E. 1709 when a call came in matching the description of the car in the burglary. As he turned around and began to head in the direction of the call, he looked into his rearview mirror and noticed the driver of the vehicle behind him. Upon closer investigation, he noticed that the vehicle the male was driving also matched the description from the burglary.  Officer Rogers realized that the male and female occupant were in the Maroon Dodge Charger that fit the description of the suspects that had committed the earlier offenses on January 10th.

Officer Rogers then maneuvered his vehicle and was able to follow the vehicle where the driver pulled in and parked in a handicapped parking space. The occupants exited the vehicle and went into the store before Officer Rogers could make contact. Upon Officer Rogers approaching the vehicle, he noticed the vehicle was not displaying a handicapped parking placard as required by law. At that time he made contact with CID and requested assistance.  The driver was placed under arrest for the violation of parking in the handicapped space without a placard.

During the time of this investigation, other officers were actively working two other burglaries of motor vehicle offenses in the immediate area. Item’s that had been taken in those incidents were located in the vehicle of the arrested person that officer Rogers had in custody.

Due to the efforts that Officer Rogers originally put forth in the primary investigation and the follow-up on January 10th, and his commitment to outstanding job performance and the safety of Southlake residents, two offenders of multiple offenses within our city were apprehended.

“Officer Frank Rogers represents the kind of officers we have working in DPS Police Services and serving the citizens of Southlake,” said Police Chief Stephen Mylett.  Our sincerest congratulations to Officer Rogers for an excellent job!

Officer Rogers received a large plaque, gifts certificates and much more from the Southlake Rotary Club to show their appreciation! Again, congratulations to Officer Frank Rogers and all of the nominees.

Officer Receives Star of the 24th Award

The Star of the 24th is an initiative created by Congressman Marchant to recognize outstanding citizens and groups in the 24th Congressional District of Texas.
STAR OF THE 24TH: Nate Anderson of
Southlake

Southlake police officer, Nate Anderson, was patrolling the town square one late evening in December when he came across an obscure vehicle. Inside he found a woman in her mid forties trying to fall asleep in the back seat. When Officer Anderson approached her, she appeared distressed and was crying. She explained her plight of moving from California to Texas hoping for better opportunities, and how her situation had left her stranded and alone.

Officer Anderson verified her story by looking at her prepared résumé.  Going beyond the line of duty, he arranged for the woman to have a hot meal, a full tank of gas, and a hotel room for two nights.  He then gave her all the cash in his wallet, totaling $150, and put her in touch with a few churches to ensure ongoing assistance.

The encounter was an unknown incident until the woman contacted his superiors about his generosity.  Officer Anderson’s selfless actions demonstrate that of a true Good Samaritan.  I am extremely proud to represent Officer Anderson and to recognize him as a Star of the 24th.

What inspired you to go above and beyond to assist
a citizen in need?

The initial response of my job is to protect and serve, however in this case I knew that there was no way that I would be able to go home and have a peaceful night’s sleep knowing that I left this lady alone and nowhere to go. If anything happened to her it would be on my conscience for the rest of my life. In my mind that was someone’s mother, daughter, etc. and she was crying out for anyone to help her. I spoke to my wife and she shared the same views therefore we mutually agreed to sacrifice whatever we could at that time to make sure she was fed and had a warm and safe place to get a peaceful nights rest, even if it was for only two days. I truly believed that I had to put my personal struggles to the side and assist a stranger in need. It’s what’s expected of me every day that I put on a uniform.

How has this experience affected you?

This experience has brought on a lot more attention than I would have liked. The night I assisted this lady, I kept as quite about it as I could because in my mind this is what I felt anyone would have done if they were in my position. I work with a lot of good officers that have good hearts and I didn’t want to make a big deal about the situation. Overall, I’m glad that it has touched a lot of individuals; I’m glad that it shows the citizens that we as officers are not out there just writing tickets and arresting individuals.

Your story is an example of amazing generosity and
service. What does it mean to you to be a public servant?

Being a public servant means being there for any and every one as much as you can. It means putting your personal issues aside and putting someone else first. I truly believe that if you help others, God will bless you later.