Chief Casey awarded the 2024 Officer of the Year to Officer David Aldridge.  Officer Aldridge is in charge of the department’s fleet, making sure the squads keep running and are properly outfitted.  “He’s a one-man assembly line, and he probably knows more about our fleet than the manufacturers do,” Chief Casey said.  Officer Aldridge also was recognized for going above and beyond with his commitment security at City Council meetings, working events in Town Square, and always having a smile on his face or a playful joke ready.

Corporal Craig D’Amico was awarded the 2024 Supervisor of the Year.  His achievements included spearheading the department wide transition to the Trijicon red dot platform and successfully training and qualifying 75 sworn officers.  He also completed Ballistic Shield instructor training, worked at the Sniper Team Leader for the North Tarrant Regional SWAT, and is the first to volunteer at events like National Night Out, Donuts with Dads, the Citizen’s Academy, and any event that builds trust and reinforces positive relationships with the community.

Chief Casey awarded Julia Deal the 2024 Civilian of the Year Award.  Julia works in the Records Department and according to her supervisor Sarah Blum, she “has not only met the high expectations of her position in just a short period of time, but she has exceeded them in ways that have truly set her apart.  Whether handling routine requests or taking on new challenges, she has consistently demonstrated professionalism, tenacity, and an unwavering dedication to the department’s mission of providing world class service.”

Officer Brent Carlson received the Meritorious Conduct Award and a joint Officer of the Quarter Award for Q1.  Both of those awards stemmed from his brave actions that started as a wrong way driver call in November.  “In the face of imminent danger and with a spirit of self-sacrifice, Officer Carlson exhibited extraordinary heroism during an incident involving gunfire,” Chief Casey said.  “His strategic decision making while under pressure, coupled with his quick and decisive actions helped stabilize a critical situation and demonstrated his unwavering commitment to the safety of the public and his fellow officers.”  The Meritorious Conduct Award is not often bestowed, which made this award a truly special occasion.

Detective Elliot Sundby also received a joint Officer of the Quarter Award for Q1 due to his lengthy and thorough criminal investigation into Officer Carlson’s shooting.  He served as the lead investigator and worked diligently to build a strong criminal case for prosecution, including reviewing countless hours of video footage, interviewing a multitude of witnesses, writing and executing search warrants, and coordination with several out of state law enforcement agencies.  All charges were eventually accepted by the DA.

In addition to awards, Chief Casey also promoted two officers to the rank of Corporal.  Corporal Alex Adams received his new badge and was pinned by his daughter (with the help of his wife).  Corporal Corey Ventura received his new badge and was pinned by his wife.

“Your promotions and recognition are a testament to your exceptional contributions to this department and the community we serve,” Chief Casey said at the end of the ceremony.  “I know you all will continue to rise to the challenges ahead and inspire everyone around you, and I’m excited to see the positive impact you’ll make as you step into your new roles.”

On February 21st, Corporal Ray Sewell, Corporal Corey Ventura, and Detective Jamie Hannah graduated from the 146th School of Police Supervision at the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration (ILEA) in Plano. 

This 1-month program provides new supervisors and those aspiring to promote with training in essential, foundational principles of leadership and supervision. 

“The ILEA program requires a great deal of commitment,” Chief Casey said.  “I am proud of Corporal Sewell, Corporal Ventura, and Detective Hannah for their initiative and their dedication to ongoing professional development.”

Established as part of The Center for American and International Law (formerly the Southwestern Legal Foundation), the ILEA came into existence as the Southwestern Police Academy in 1957, on the campus of Southern Methodist University. ILEA’s initial mission was to meet the need of training law enforcement supervisors. Over the years that mission has expanded to serve the ever expanding needs of administrative and supervisory personnel and the ethical training needs for all law enforcement.

Chief Casey promoted Sergeant Myles Jenkins to the rank of Captain.  Captain Jenkins was pinned by his wife and children, and he will helm the Professional Standards division.  Captain Jenkins has been at the Southlake Police Department for 11 years and previously worked in CID and patrol.

The Chief also promoted Corporal Emiliano Tejada to the rank of Sergeant.  Sergeant Tejada was pinned by his son, and will lead a Corporal and patrol officers on the Nights 1 shift.  Sergeant Tejada started his career at North Richland Hills PD in 2018 and came to Southlake in 2021.

In addition to the promotions, Chief Casey also awarded Officer of the Quarter awards to Detective Wood for a successful prostitution sting, Officer Grace for an traffic stop arrest involving guns, drugs, and warrants, and Officer Lisle for his life saving methods during a medical emergency.

Please join us in congratulating these officers for their achievements.

Chief Casey’s opening remarks thanked the officers of the department for their “relentless dedication, professionalism and tireless efforts to serve and protect the community of Southlake.”  She also thanked Chief Luna’s family stating “behind every successful officer, is a family who makes sacrifices and provides a strong support system, and they play an essential role in an officer’s overall success and well-being.”

Chief Luna is a U.S. Army veteran, and has 20 years of progressively responsible law enforcement experience, promoting to the ranks of Corporal, Sergeant and Captain.  He has served as Police Captain in a variety of operational roles in the department since 2015, and he has served as the Commander for North Tarrant Regional SWAT for the past 8 years.  He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, he holds a Master Peace Officer Certification, and he is a recent graduate of the FBI National Academy, Session 291.

“Your promotion is a direct reflection of your exceptional skills, dedication, and commitment to upholding our department’s values,” Chief Casey said.  “I am confident that you will embrace your new role and responsibilities with integrity, and you will inspire and empower those around you to excel to new heights.”

Whenever possible, these interviews take place in what is referred to as a “soft interview room,” which is geared towards making the survivor feel more comfortable and at ease.  Last week, Southlake PD’s soft interview room received a special makeover, thanks to SPD Crime Analyst and Crime Victim’s Liaison, Diana Smith, and the non-profit foundation “Project Beloved.”

As one of their primary initiatives to support survivors of violent crimes, Project Beloved provides interview room makeovers to police departments across the state to transform the environment into a more welcoming and comfortable space for investigators to meet and speak with survivors. The furnishings, lighting, and artwork used to soften the space are provided at no cost to the agency through donations received by the foundation. 

Diana learned about Project Beloved and the story of its founder, Tracy Matheson, while training at a crime victim services conference last year.  Ms. Matheson’s daughter, Molly Jane, was sexually assaulted and murdered by a former boyfriend in Fort Worth in 2017.  At the time, investigators were unaware that Molly Jane’s attacker was a person of interest in several sex assaults in other cities across Texas. He had not been charged in those offenses, and Texas law enforcement agencies had no consistent process to compare similar sexual assault crimes that occurred within the state and the United States.  Ultimately, Molly Jane’s killer went on to sexually assault and murder another woman 9 days later.

Ms. Matheson’s work through the state legislative process resulted in the creation of H.B. 3106, also known as “Molly Jane’s Law”, which requires Texas law enforcement agencies to enter vital information and details about sexual assault offenses into the FBI’s national database known as the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, or ViCAP.  This important tool provides investigators the ability to search for similarities in offenses nationwide, and it allows them to link sexual assaults to a particular offender, based on characteristics of the assault.

Ms. Matheson was present at police headquarters last week to officially “open” the Department’s updated soft interview room.  We are grateful to Southlake PD’s Crime Victim Liaison, Diana Smith, and Project Beloved for their work and collaboration to create a more calm and peaceful space for Southlake officers to interact with survivors during some of their most difficult moments.

Of special note:  The artwork used in each of Project Beloved's makeovers holds special meaning and is provided by the family of Megan Gertrum, another victim of Molly Jane's assailant. Gertrum was an amateur photographer, and her prints serve as a silent, but prominent pledge to seek justice for victims and survivors of violent crimes.

Officer Jason Keller was awarded the Texas Crime Prevention Association Presidential Award for his distinguished service as an Executive Board member last month.

Officer Keller was instrumental in disseminating timely conference updates via zoom, emails, social media and website posts to the association before, during, and after Hurricane Beryl.  He performed multiple executive board duties because of the storm and successfully helped with refunds and rescheduling/relocating the conference from Corpus Christi to College Station in less than 30 days.  

Because of his efforts, members were able to attend the conference for the first time virtually. At the conference, Officer Keller was elected to serve as the 2nd Vice President (Training Coordinator) for the Texas Crime Prevention Association.

Officer Keller has worked with Training Sergeant Diehl to bring mandated TCOLE courses to the North station that our officers have taken advantage of to stay compliant.  Some of those courses have included Basic Crime Prevention, Security Assessments of Schools and Churches, and more.

Officer Keller has been a member of TCPA for about 25 years. 

SOUTHLAKE, TX  – Kimberly Smith, school resource officer (SRO) at Southlake Police Department, was awarded “Texas Instructor of the Year” from L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence), a nationwide nonprofit that works with communities to help students understand the dangers of drugs and violence, and Matt Petrie, retired Southlake SRO, was awarded “L.E.A.D.er of the Year.” They were presented with the awards at L.E.A.D.’s ninth annual 21st Century Drug and Violence Prevention Training Conference in Orlando, Florida, due to their excellent work educating students on the proven effective curriculum implemented by L.E.A.D. and training folks across the country to become L.E.A.D. instructors, respectively.

“The awards given to SRO Smith and Mr. Petrie are well deserved. We congratulate them on their outstanding work helping to protect students from the dangers of drugs and violence and expand the network of people who are trained to teach our curriculum,” said Nick DeMauro, CEO of L.E.A.D. “They’re dedication towards emphasizing the importance of drug and violence prevention is helping us to continue accomplishing our goal of advancing police-community relationships.”

L.E.A.D. provides services “On The Street” and “In The Classroom” as it brings law enforcement and communities closer together. The “In The Classroom” program is taught by more than 5000 trained instructors in 45 states, who are serving more than 500,000 students in 2,500 school systems. L.E.A.D. has a proven-effective, law enforcement-focused anti-drug, anti-violence curriculum for K–12 students in the U.S. The L.E.A.D. curriculum is taught over the course of a 10-week program to educate youth on how they can make smart decisions without the involvement of drugs or violence.

Last school year, SRO Smith taught the L.E.A.D. curriculum to 161 fourth graders at Walnut Grove Elementary School. In Southlake, L.E.A.D. is also taught to sixth graders by SROs at intermediate campuses and eighth graders by SROs at middle school campuses.

One of SRO Smith’s favorite parts about the ten weeks in the classroom is the quality time that she gets to spend with the students.

“10 weeks is a significant amount of time to spend with the children and make a positive impact on their lives,” said SRO Smith. “I enjoy getting to see the kids develop into better versions of themselves by teaching them character-based values, and the great, open conversations that we have with them are fulfilling.”

SRO Smith says that two twin brothers who she had in one of her classes had the idea of making “what would Officer Kim do” bracelets, which shows her how much of an impact that she makes on students’ lives.

“It was powerful to hear the twins talk about making the bracelets. They said they would use them as a reminder to ask themselves what I would do in the situation if they’re struggling with making a good decision,” said SRO Smith. “No matter where my students go or how old they get, they know that I’ll always be there for them.”

Mr. Petrie has been with L.E.A.D. for three years. He’s trained approximately 400 officers, deputies, coaches, counselors and directors from the Boys & Girls Clubs, an organization that has implemented L.E.A.D. as an after-school program, in 17 states to teach the L.E.A.D. curriculum. He says that getting to work with the organization and train police officers to teach such an impactful program is an honor.

“In Southlake, I spent 35 years in law enforcement and 22 of those years as an SRO working with students in middle school. Getting to pass on the training that I’ve received over the years to police officers across the country is a blessing,” he said. “Unfortunately, a lot of people have a bad taste in their mouths about law enforcement, so it’s rewarding to know that by training police officers to go into the classroom and steer children away from alcohol and drugs, I’m helping to break down those walls.”

Mr. Petrie adds that he’s most impressed by the first five lessons in the L.E.A.D. curriculum as “they contain important life skills that the kids can use for the rest of their lives.”

About L.E.A.D.

L.E.A.D. provides the leadership, resources and management to ensure law enforcement agencies have the means to partner with educators, community leaders and families. L.E.A.D. succeeds by providing proven effective programs to deter youth and adults from drug use, drug related crimes, bullying and violence. L.E.A.D. is committed to reinforcing the mutual respect, goodwill and relations between law enforcement and their communities. For more information, visit https://www.leadrugs.org/.

The SRO Division has been honored as a NASRO Role Model Agency, an accolade that underscores the unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Southlake’s school community.

This recognition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of officers within the SRO Division, who have consistently demonstrated excellence in their service to Southlake’s schools and the broader community. Through innovative approaches to school-based policing, comprehensive training, and adherence to the highest standards, the SRO Division has become a national model for effective law enforcement engagement in educational settings.

Since its inception, the SRO Program has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of the schools and students. From establishing trust and mentorship with students to implementing proactive crime prevention measures, our officers have played a pivotal role in fostering a safe and supportive learning environment within Carroll and Keller Independent Schools. This recognition by NASRO reaffirms the effectiveness of our collaborative efforts with CISD, KISD, city leadership, and the community at large.

“We are incredibly proud of the achievements of our SRO Division and grateful for the dedication of our officers,” Captain Blas Hernandez said. “As we continue to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and service, I am confident that our SRO Division will remain a beacon of excellence in school-based policing.”

Captain Hernandez and Officer Rattan accepted the award at the NASRO Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona this month.

The Southlake Kiwanis awarded the Sergeant John Stokes SRO of the Year Award to Officer Brett Roberson for 2023 and Officer Corey Rattan for 2024.   Nominations for the award came from a variety of teachers, school staff, and even residents.

Southlake Kiwanis is part of a global organization that is committed to improving the lives of children through several volunteer and community service initiatives. One of the ways it does that is by recognizing the efforts of first responders, which is why Southlake Kiwanis started the Heart of Service Award to honor Carroll ISD’s school resource officers.

The 2023 award winner, Officer Roberson, “embodies the spirit of service and safety” at Carroll Middle School.  “From offering personal support to addressing emergent needs, whether in collaboration with our staff in emergencies or engaging with students in the carline and lunch line, Officer Roberson is a testament to the profound impact a dedicated School Resource Officer can have on a school community,” CMS administration said.  “We are immensely grateful to have her as part of our team.

Officer Corey Rattan was the 2024 winner for his work at Carroll Senior High School.

“Officer Rattan is not just a guardian of our school grounds,” Principal Christina Benhoff said.  “He is a mentor, a role model, and a friend to our students. He is the first one to show up to a Chinese Club meeting, the first to get on the dance floor at Homecoming to show off his moves, the first to lend a helping hand when there’s physical labor to be done at the high school and the first to jump in when there’s a threat to the same campus that we all love.”

The Kiwanis and both schools wanted to recognize both officers’ service, sacrifice, and their unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of our students and staff.

The Southlake DPS social media pages won the “Best Long Form Video” Golden Post Award at the national Government Social Media Awards in Palm Springs, California earlier this month.  The winning video “The Real Cops of Southlake” was a safety-laden parody of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives” series.

The video featured the trademark opening of the show, along with four vignettes, each covering topics such as drunk driving, speed enforcement, and theft prevention tips.  It did extremely well on every social platform scoring about 108,000 views, 1,900 likes, and over 600 shares. 

Southlake DPS has won this award back to back, as they also won last year’s “Best Long Form Video” Golden Post Award for their recruiting video, “Southlake Police Are Hiring,” which featured a George Strait look-a-like singing to “Amarillo By Morning.”

“I wrote the ‘Real Cops’ script in 2019, but just didn’t have the know-how, time, or expertise to make it then,” Southlake Public Information Officer Brad Uptmore said.  “One of my New Year’s resolutions was to get it filmed, edited, and finished in 2023.”

From the opening Andy Cohen sound-a-like (Southlake’s own Ryan Davis) to the police-themed Bravo show ads in the bottom right corner of the screen, Uptmore made sure the flair, graphics, and attitude could be mistaken for a real Bravo TV show.

“I watched hundreds of hours of ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ for this project and not for my own amusement,” Uptmore said.  “I promise.  I only watched hours and hours of the show just for RESEARCH, and not to see the drama-filled, luxurious, and sometimes scandalous adventures of Kyle Richards and the other housewives for many, many seasons.  My incessant watching was just for this police project.”

Judge feedback included, "Southlake DPS always brings it to the Golden Post Awards! Great visuals, content that informs and engages - you're the social gov team everyone else wants to be." Another judge complimented, "This is AMAZING! I think my favorite part was seeing the popup ads for other shows on the PoePoe network LOL. Your attention to detail, scripting, and play on pop culture were top tier. Fabulous entry!"

The Southlake DPS social accounts were also a finalist for “Best Facebook Presence” and “Best Use of Social Media in an Emergency.”