What are the three main reasons you are running for this office? Do you see any potential conflicts of interest?
I graduated the law enforcement academy in 2006 at the age of 30 years old. I started working with the Magnolia Police Department just after graduation. After approximately two years I became the detective for this agency. Throughout the years I have investigated all types of cases including: burglary, thefts, robberies, narcotics, child pornography, sexual assaults and death investigations. Being that I started a career in law enforcement at a later age I was able to come in with more life experience than most rookies. I was able to make better decisions and look at each situation more mature.
When an officer graduates a police academy and passes the state TCOLE certification test you are able to work for any agency in the state of Texas. I was lucky to begin at Magnolia due to it being a smaller agency you are required to perform more duties than most departments. I was able to be trained on more variety of law enforcement than most. Being that I came into law enforcement with a history of leadership from previous careers it was easier to move into a leadership role with this department. I believe that with my leadership experience and my law enforcement training and experience I am more than qualified to take over the Pct. 5 Constables Office.
Please describe what you believe are the most significant issues in this race, why and what you'll do to address them?
The Pct. 5 Constables Office has been known in the past to be a civil only department. A constables office main agenda is to perform the civil process for the precint. Although when this is completed a constable deputy is still a peace office in the state of Texas and should use the spare time to concentrate of the safety of our community. When I ran the first time for this office it was said that this office would never change and would only perform civil duties required. After the 1st election in which I was not elected the office began to perform civil and criminal duties. After the second election in which I was not elected the department started a criminal task force desinated to fighting against the narcotics in our areas and arresting those subjects with outstanding warrants. Even though I was not elected in these elections I was able to change this department for the better. I believe that there is much more that needs to be changed including the safety of our schools. Just because you have an officer assigned to a school, this alone does not make the school automaticly safe.
I strongly feel that if I can change this much from the outside the possiblilties are endless from the inside.
What is your position on the public's right to record police or other government officials on public property?
I believe that the public has the right by our constitution to record law enforcement and or goverment officials. I will say if you record a police officer during active duties that video can now be seized as evidence to the incident. I believe that many of those who are following police and other government officials is not to achieve video footage of an incident. Most of these individuas have alternate motives to achieve, like cause a reaction from the person being filmed. I strongly believe that each person has a right although when filming a law enforcement officer it is a immediate distraction for the officer. This causing the safety for the officer and the public to be comprimised. When the public enters an area in which duties are being performed they have now placed the officer in position to also protect them from.
I suggest that if a person wants to video they should think about the surroundings and video from a safe spot without causing a distraction to those who already attemtping to perform a stressful duty.
What is your position on dash/body cams & public availability of those videos?
I believe that video should be allowed for public view. Although you have the right to a fair trail as a defendant. When evidence is shown before a trial the public is able to make a decision before trial. For those who would be assigned to the jury it is hard to keep prior knowledge of a case out of of their mind.
I do believe that when body cams were requested by the offenders they were not expecting the reaction. Since most officers wear body worn cameras now they defendant has a straight on view of their actions. Once the defendant and public is shown this footage they are shocked. There is corrupotion in every line of work in America. Although the amount of currupt cops out there is not as many as the media is attempting to get the public to believe and these new body cameras are now proving this.
Who is endorsing you and what is their relationship to you?
I have been endorsed or suggested by the Tea Party and the Texas Patriots Pac in the past election. I do not believe either of these parties have made a decision on this election yet.
Please describe the concrete goals against which you want to be measured in the coming term.
My number one goal is to bring all the departments together to work more in sinc. At this point Pct. 5 does not work well with other departments. It has gotten better in the recent years although there is still a large seperation.
My second goal is to secure the schools more. I feel there is still too much narcotics, vapes, and other illegal things happening in all of the schools.
My third goal is to continue to attack the drug problem on the streets. Magnolia has a major issue with drugs on the street.
Please list all civic, political, and union organizations or individuals to whom you have contributed in the past five years.
The only two organizations that I contribute to is Magnolia's First Baptist Church, TMPA (Texas Municipal Police Association), and the Magnolia Police Association. I have had to pay $1,000.00 the past three elections to the Montgomery County Republican party just to get my name on the ballot.
To what extent do you believe the state or federal government should be able to obtain court orders directing parents to do things for their children that the parent does not believe should be done?
This is a very broad question. I do feel the government oversteps their boundries when it comes to parenting. In my line of work I have seen many parents have different views on parenting than my own although that does not mean they are wrong and the goverment should get involved. The content that schools are attempting to teach our children now days flat out scares me to the point I am concerned sending my children to school. I have also seen CPS overstep their boundries many times and at others not step in fast enough.
Please list all conservative groups for which you are or have been a member, and list any positions held in each group.
I support the Tea Party and other republican groups although I am not a member to any at this time.
Please describe the changes you will make to improve the efficiency of the office for which you are running.
I believe that the I will be able to improve the efficiency of this office by opening the doors to other agencies. As departments work together you can get more accomplished. There are 4 agencies in the Magnolia area Magnolia Police, Pct. 5 Constables, Montgomery County Sheriff and DPS. If all of these agencies worked together we could get much more accomplished. Each department had their own roles although most of the time we are all looking for the same criminals for the same offenses.
Please describe your position on the proper balance of parental rights and the welfare of the child. Please include a couple of examples.
This another case by case questiong / answer. I have been involved with many cases where children were being abused inside the house and outside the house. Some of the times the parents were doing all that they could possibly do to protect the child or provide for them but come up short. I have seen other cases where the parents abandonded their children with other families who should not be around children. Every parent is not going to agree on the best way to parent although I believe as being the parent it is your responsibility to make the decisions not the state. I recently heard of a Dr. wanting to eliminate life support on a child who was in the hospital even though the child was showing signs of life. This should be the parents choice not the Dr's or the states.
What's your position on red-flag laws, expansion of background checks to private firearms sales, imposing civil liability on sellers of firearms, or any additional regulation of the private sales of firearms?
I believe that everyone should possess a firearm and they should also want to be trained to use it. I do believe that there are citizens in our community that are a danger to themselves and others, which should not posses a firearm. I also stand firm that criminals should not posses firearms. If you have a violent criminal history you should be band from possession.
I will never stand with the government to take away firearms from the citizens who should legally possess firearms.
