Volume 14 Number 02
MARCH 2014 HIGHLIGHTS
Behind The BADGE DALLAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT FROM THE SHERIFF We just passed our fifth straight jail inspection. The teamwork continues to depict in our continued success. The Monday morning jail & sanitation meetings continue to pay off well. Many thanks to each and every employee for their individual contribution. And thank you to the county facilities personnel and fire marshal for doing their part to ensure our jail facilities have equipment that works properly at all times. With the support of the Dallas County Commissioners Court and Parkland Hospital, our jail continues to gain positive exposure across, not only the state, but also across the nation and at the international level. Great job, everyone. —Sheriff Lupe Valdez
Jail Inspection Complete
Chief Suell Farewell
Employee of the Month Honors
Captain Howard Resolution
Intern Spotlight
Easter Bunny Hop 2014
Captured Moments
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Texas Commission on Jail Standards Visit
Pictured above: Officials from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Commissioners Court, Parkland Hospital, and Facilities Department learn from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards that they passed inspection. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards is recognizing the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department for a fifth straight year. On Friday April 11, 2014, the state inspection team completed their weeklong inspection of the seventh largest jail in the nation. Shannon Herklotz, director with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards said that in his 16 years with the inspection team, this is the cleanest he has seen the jail: “You’ve set a high benchmark of the next review.” Sheriff Lupe Valdez credited everyone’s team work for making this another successful inspection: “The teamwork continues and it keeps moving forward.” PG2
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Chief Suell’s Journey Celebration After a little over five years, Chief Marlin Suell is starting a new chapter in life with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department. He began his career with the Dallas Sheriff’s Department in August of 2008 as Assistant Chief Deputy over Inmate Housing, was then promoted to Chief Deputy in the Office of Detentions and most recently served as Chief Deputy over General Services. Chief Suell began his career with the Smith County Sheriff’s Department in 1989.
5th Jail Inspection is in the books! FROM PG1: JAIL INSPECTION The effort is a culmination of work done by every employee of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department in collaboration with Dallas County Commissioners Court, Parkland Hospital, the Dallas County Facilities Department and the Dallas County Fire Marshal. Commissioner John Wiley Price recognized that everyone’s diligent work translates to overall tax dollar savings for the citizens of Dallas County. Currently nutritious meals prepared by the department’s Support Services Division, under the director of Diane Bronar-Skipworth, are at a cost of 69 cents a meal. This type of production, in fact, has the inspectors requesting that the cook chill director teach a workshop at next year’s state jail conference. Another highlight of this year’s inspection included the first phase completion of the medical modification construction project in the North Tower which will soon house the jail’s own medium size hospital. Parkland Hospital’s state-of-the-art pharmacy allows for the efficient distribution of about 800 prescriptions a day or 22,000 in a month.
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Dallas County Employee of the Month Honors March 2014 – DSO Juan Mancera Detention Service Officer Juan Mancera is a very diligent employee in the West Tower Jail. He is prompt for work and completes all his tasks in a timely manner. He is a quick learner and an excellent team player and because of that, he is an asset to this department. Mancera started his career with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department in 2002.
March 2014 – DSO Darlene Runnels Detention Service Officer Darlene Runnels is one of the most eager employees in the West Tower Jail. On any given assignment, she gives it careful attention and completes it in a timely manner. Runnels is not afraid to ask a question when she is not sure about something and she always ensures the job is done correctly. She is able to deescalate situations before they arise. She started her career with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department in 2009.
Captain Mark Howard’s Day in Court On April 8, 2014, the Dallas County Commissioners Court officially passed a resolution recognizing Captain Mark Howard’s 30 years of service with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. Captain Howard began his career as a detention service officer in March of 1984. By his second year, he was promoted to deputy where he worked patrol and eventually would become a field training officer. By 1995, Howard earned a promotion to sergeant and worked in the Intake Division. Three years later, he was a lieutenant assigned to the Warrant Execution Section. In April 2002, he was promoted to captain where he has since juggled a variety of responsibilities. Captain Howard has earned several accolades throughout his time with the department, among them an Excellence for Service Award presented by the DEA and FBI. He was instrumental in the creation of the Fallen Deputy Memorial and coordinates the annual Christmas in the Community event. Most recently, Howard organized the search and rescue operation for Ms. Lillie Sanders who was found safely and reunited with her family. KRLD Radio also honored him as their Community Hero of the Week. Great work, captain!
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Intern Spotlight Pictured left: KXAS NBC 5 Photographer Larry Herrera, Intern Monica Blanco, KXAS NBC 5 Reporter Ben Russell and Intern Mario Miranda outside the Lew Sterrett Justice Center following a successful inmate interview visit. The high school intern program is off to a successful start. The students had a chance to rotate into a different section to learn a new aspect of the department. Below is a bio about each of them.
Monica Blanco—Intern in the Public Information Officer Office Monica Blanco is a senior at Sunset High School. After graduation, she plans to study criminal justice and psychology once she gets a chance to explore Mexico a bit. She is interested in becoming a juvenile correction officer to work with youth, because it's the perfect age when an individual is still developing into adulthood. The clients aren't too young, and yet, not that old. She is planning on moving up afterwards and becoming a SWAT member or would like to join the FBI. She has enjoyed being an intern so far and just being able to shadow people from the sheriff’s department has been a great experience. Her favorite sport is basketball: "Go Mavericks", and her favorite movie is Saving Private Ryan. Mario Miranda—Intern in the Public Information Officer Office Mario Miranda is a senior at Sunset High School. He plans to study criminal justice to get the experience of the law. He is interested in becoming a lawyer. He likes to be a leader, not a follower. He also enjoys helping people in need and wants to help them have a better life. So far he said the internship with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department has been great: “I have learned a lot with them. It has been a great experience and one of the big reasons is that we get to experience all the parts of the law. I do recommend this internship to everyone. And I thank all of the people that have been helping us learn. And Carmen Castro for making this internship more fun.” Jacqueline Canul—Intern in the Physical Evidence Section Jacqueline Canul, is a senior at Sunset High School. She is a teen mom and is interested in 9-1-1 dispatching and medical. Jacqueline loves to exercise and enjoys spending time with her son. She has had plenty of great experiences so far as an intern. One of her favorites experience is learning about the communications dispatch room. She has gotten the opportunity to sit in and listen to calls and has a better understanding for the importance of having our officers’ back when they are out on the field. Pictured left: Jacqueline and PES Detective Wise, just another day at the office.
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Sunset High Intern Bios
Pictured left: Interns Matthew Maldonado, Cruz Macias and Jessica Garcia with the Auto Theft Task Force. Pictured Right: Interns Juan Portugal and Jaime Olmos with Court Services. Matthew Maldonado—Intern in the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force Matthew Maldonado is a senior at Sunset High School. He wants to major in forensic and criminal justice because he wants to solve cases, and be someone who people can depend on for help. He enjoys skateboarding, playing guitar, and is a songwriter. The reason he wanted to be an intern was because he’s interested in the different fields around the department and he feels as if it can help him through his way to college. As a result, he feels that this intern program can help him with future job openings and he is gaining experience. He volunteers at the Dallas Methodist Hospital on Fridays. Jessica Garcia—Intern in the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force Jessica Garcia is a senior at Sunset High School. She enjoys reading, painting, and playing basketball. Her dream is to become a detective. One of her favorite internship experiences is being able to gain knowledge from detectives themselves. Cruz Macias—Intern in the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force Cruz Macias is a senior who attends Sunset High School. She enjoys learning new things. Her favorite subjects are math and science. She likes to go to the gym in her free time. She plans on becoming a nurse after she graduates high school. She also enjoys going to Mexico to spend time with her family and just relax. What Cruz likes about the internship so far, is that she gets to see the different types of jobs that are available at the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. She gets to experience what people’s actual jobs are like and not just what you see on TV. Jaime Olmos—Intern in the Court Services Section Jaime Olmos is currently attending Sunset High School as a senior and plans to graduate this year. After he graduates he is heading into law enforcement, something along the lines of DEA. He is also interested in being a sideline theorist for/in astronomy. So far his favorite experience here at Frank Crowley, is attending the various interesting court cases. It’s been a wonderful experience so far, and he would like to give thanks for the opportunity. Juan Portugal—Intern in the Court Services Section Juan Portugal is a senior at Sunset High School. He plans on attending a university this fall and study criminal justice. Juan hopes to one day do something to help pit bulls because not many people like them. He is interested in the DEA, ATF, and FBI but would possibly consider becoming a firefighter. His favorite sports are baseball, basketball and football, “ Go Rangers, Mavs and Cowboys.” His favorite experience from this internship is meeting new people and learning the things that they do.
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Easter Bunny Hop 2014
The Easter Bunny Hop took place at the Medical City Children’s Hospital on April 9th. Sheriff Lupe Valdez, along with Deputy Janet Curry-Finn, DSO Ruby Mayweather and the 2014 Easter Bunny Sgt. Dawn Ratcliff visited several patients. Children got a chance to pick their favorite color bunny to keep as they go through their recuperation time in the hospital. The annual event is made possible through the Easter Bunny Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides Easter Bunny visits to children and hospitals across the United States and the United Kingdom.
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Announcements DEATHS
Captured moments around the department:
March 3, 2014: Artis Lee Banks, brother of retired Deputy Dorothy Retta, Warrant Execution Section, passed away. March 14, 2014: Retired Deputy George Housewright passed away. March 21, 2014: Alice Munster, mother of retired Deputy Hank Munster, Jr., passed away. March 27, 2014: Fred G. Wall, father of DSO Eric Wall, 2nd Watch-Intake Section passed away.
The Sunset High School intern team in attendance at the Dallas County Commissioners Court meeting on March 18.
Texas Commission on Jail Standards Inspectors visit the upcoming Med Mod project inside the North Tower.
Sheriff’s one inch badge lapel pins $3.50 each or get 3 for $10 Contact: Marian Ogletree 214.653.3462
Dallas County Sheriff’s Department 133 N. Riverfront Blvd. LB-31 Dallas, Texas 75207-4313
For submission of a newsletter item: Carmen.Castro@dallascounty.org
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Chief David L. Fender and Commander Kelley Fraser toured the Dallas County jail during the same week as the jail inspectors visit.
For the latest updates: www.dallas-sheriff.com
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