Police Practices Expert - Texas Ranger, Ret.

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

I am currently commissioned as a (Master Certified) law enforcement officer by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). In January of 2023, I retired from the Texas Department of Public Service after 28 years of service. The first 12 years were with the Texas Highway Patrol Division, and the last 16 years were with the Texas Ranger Division. Before starting my DPS career, I worked for five years with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office in Huntsville, Texas, as a commissioned correctional officer, jail shift supervisor, and commissioned patrol deputy. From 1990 to 1992, I served as a Jailer in the Walker County Sheriff’s Office Jail Division in Huntsville, Texas. After becoming commissioned as a peace officer and starting my time as a patrol deputy, I maintained my Jailer commission and assisted in the jail when needed until I resigned in 1995 to attend the DPS academy. In that role, I was responsible for the direct supervision, care, and safety of inmates housed in the facility. My duties included conducting regular inmate checks and observations, maintaining accurate log entries, and ensuring that inmates were monitored according to classification levels, medical needs, and any special precautions, such as suicide watch or segregation requirements. I was trained to recognize signs of health-related issues, mental-health crises, and behavioral changes that required medical/jail intervention, and I coordinated with medical staff to ensure that inmates received appropriate and timely medical attention. The following is an overview of my duties as a Texas Ranger: Criminal and special investigations; apprehending wanted felons; suppressing major disturbances; protecting life and property; and assisting local, State, and Federal law enforcement officials in suppressing crime and violence such as Capital Murder, Murder, Aggravated Assaults, Aggravated Robbery, and Aggravated Kidnappings. Lead criminal investigative responsibility for major incident crime investigations, jail death investigations, unsolved serial crime investigations, public corruption investigations, officer-involved shooting investigations, use of force investigations, and border security operations. Assist with the protection of the Governor and First Lady, Lieutenant Governor, and the Texas Attorney General. During my law enforcement career, I received extensive training and experience interacting with thousands of individuals in low-, medium-, and high-stress environments as well as life-threatening situations. I have arrested or assisted with the arrest, detainment, or apprehension of sober, intoxicated, chemically impaired, and mentally ill individuals. I am very familiar with human perception, reflexes, and reactions in stressful situations and violent conditions. I have received extensive training in these areas as well as first-hand experience. I conduct training and educational courses for patrol officers, investigators, and special tactics teams about overcoming their natural reflexes or reactions in situations to carry out the mission or objective. I have extensive training and helped develop and teach officer-involved shooting investigations and shooting reconstruction, where students learn the use of force continuum, perception/reaction dynamics, and law enforcement responses during acutely stressful situations. During my tenure as a Texas Ranger, I conducted approximately fifty (50) custodial death investigations, including roadside use-of-force deaths, inmate deaths occurring in county jails, state prisons, and other detention facilities across Texas. In each investigation, I was responsible for determining whether the officer, jail staff, and administrators complied with their legal obligations under Texas law and with the operational, supervisory, and medical-care standards established by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS).