LONCAR REMEMBERED FOR MORE THAN “STRONG ARM” 8
JANUARY 2017 I Vol. 13, No. 1 I prestonhollowpeople.com I phollowpeople I 214-739-2244
Committed to Closure NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR LIVING WELL C O U R T E SY O F S M U P U B L I C A F FA I R S P H O T O G R A P H Y
How SMU police kept faith, found
fallen officer By William Taylor
People Newspapers A cadaver dog named Faith confirmed Sgt. Keith McCain’s belief about where the body of his friend and fellow SMU police officer Mark McCullers just had to be. Hundreds of police officers, firefighters, divers, kayakers, pilots, and others had searched on and beneath the water and along the banks – everywhere except for a more-than-mile-long drainage tunnel emptying into the Trinity River, he said. But seven weeks after July 5 floodwaters swept McCullers and his white Dodge Charger into Turtle Creek at the Fitzhugh Avenue bridge, conditions still hadn’t allowed an adequate search of that tunnel. “Divers can’t get in, because it’s too dangerous,” SMU Chief of Police Richard Shafer said. Still, Shafer, McCain, and others in their department held out hope that conditions would change and opportunities for ex-
SMU police officers, front from left, Juan Vasquez, Bruce Richardson, and Sgt. Keith McCain; and back from left, Scott White, Peter Santi, and Keith Wilson, serve as pallbearers for Mark McCullers, an officer who drowned after being swept away in a July 5 flashflood.
ploring the tunnel would emerge. “In police work, you want to cover all your bases,” said McCain, whose nearly 28 years in law enforcement included serving as McCullers’ supervisor. “You want to make sure you’ve searched everything.” McCain found McCullers’ remains on Aug. 24 in a new pile of debris near Oak Lawn Avenue and East Levee Street. The sergeant had not gone there to search, but rather to check conditions near the often submerged tunnel outlet. The discovery brought a measure of closure to the SMU Police Department and to the McCullers family, and demonstrated what can happen when those often described as “first responders” keep on responding. The determination and perseverance of SMU police officers
SCHOOLS
DISD announces key leadership changes 15
“ IT ’ S JUST SUC H A BA D F EE L ING W H E N YO U CA N’ T F IND YO UR LOV E D O NE . W E TO L D H E R W E WO N’ T Q UIT UNT IL W E F IND H IM.” SMU CHI E F OF POLI CE RI CHARD SHAFE R merited their salute as People Newspapers’ 2016 newsmakers of the year. They were selected for their collective dedication and efforts and also as representatives
COMMUNITY
Probity Advisors wins award, helps police 37
of the hundreds of volunteers and public safety personnel who participated in the massive search. McCain describes the riverbank where he found the remains as a surreally separate and natural place where he could view the Dallas skyline but not see or hear any roadways. “You’re in the middle of Dallas, but it is totally quiet,” he said. McCain was alone when he found the body, but estimates search efforts involved more than a thousand people. The SMU Police Department has 32 officers, six dispatchers, and an administrative assistant. “Everybody in the department at some time was out there – on duty or off duty – trying to find him,” Shafer said.
CONTINUED ON 37
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COMMUNITY All aboard the biggest private train display in PH 35
NEWS
Hazelbaker returns to lead Dallas YMCAs 9