Travis County Commssioners Court
January 28, 2003
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Item 5
Number 5, approve proclamation honoring chief deputy dan t. Richards on his retirement from the Travis County sheriff's office after 22 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Travis County and Travis County government.
>> good morning.
>> good morning, dan.
>> I wanted to comment that there's a beautiful symmetry to the fact that this item follows the senior proclamation this morning. [laughter] I have a --
>> shall I read your proclamation --
>> yes, sir.
>> you are still organizing, aren't you?
>> trying to be.
>> it reads: whereas throughout his entire career, dan t. Richards demonstrated that his leadership position allowed him the opportunity to serve people a special way. Whereas dan richards is retiring from the Travis County sheriff's office after 22 years of faithful, forthright and dedicated services. He has serve as chief deputy under three sheriffs and also has the privilege of honorably representing Travis County as our 35th sheriff when he was sworn in to serve the unexpired term of bailey and serving as sheriff without having to go through an election, is kind of fun, too, isn't it?
>> I wouldn't call it fun, but it was there. [laughter]
>> whereas dan richards is recognized as a leader who takes a little more than his share of the blame. And a little less than his share of the credit. He has demonstrated a tenacious and unselfish commitment to developing an main obtaining safe communities and fostering the ideals of peace and justice. Dan richard is a special gift to friends, family community, his hard work and devotion are well known. Where we have all benefited from his experience and hard work, are indebted to him for his outstanding service, wish to express our deep appreciation and gratitude, whereas it is appropriate for us to honor dan t. Richards for dedicating his career to serving his fellow man. Now therefore be it resolved that we, the members of the Travis County commissioners court, do here by proclaim January 28th, that's today, 2003, as chief deputy dan t. Richards day in Travis County, Texas. And ask all citizens of Travis County to join us as we show our appreciation for its outstanding work and dedicated service to our staff. Also further resolved that we extend best wishes to dan in all future endeavors and I move approval.
>> second.
>> well, thank you, judge and commissioners. And to whoever worried that that -- worded that document, that really is touching. I do have a few comments that I would like to make. I hope to keep it as short as I can, but I'm -- I'm not going to guarantee a whole lot on that. The -- the proclamation and agenda item says 22 years of dedicated service. I have tried to be dedicated the whole time, but actually my career goes back to 33 years ago when I joined the Austin police department. And -- and in recognizing what has -- what has influenced me, I have to say that -- that I need to reach back and mention some names that you will never hear probably again. But I want to -- I want to acknowledge the example that was set for me by chief bob miles, who was the first chief of police that I served under. His personal staff was chief george pfeiffer, chief r.b. Laws, I remember and have been influenced by major k.r.bert, dendal thomas -- kendall thomas, don doyle, mikevin. Captain buddy fan. Those names don't mean very much to you. They mean something to me and to doyne. But at that time, we were serving under the greatest generation. These were the people that won world war ii, saved our country for us. They were also the front line troops in the -- in what ought to be called and has been called the era of professionalization for public safety officers. They -- they were models for me, and I attempted to adopt a rock solid and uncompromising attitude about the role of the public safety officer and the importance of integrity. There -- their professionalization and their modeling for me was not something that made them a lot of money. And it certainly has -- has to a degree, their names have been lost in -- in -- by lack of tradition. But they did leave us a tradition of courage and integrity that we can't avoid. Professionalization started in Texas law enforcement based on a -- on a history of courage and recklessness and sometimes the law man was the law unto himself. It wasn't until this generation that I'm bragging on showed up that we started to see the improvements that we really needed. I think, unfortunately, I will make an observation that law enforcement and corrections professionalization has lost its way to some extent by becoming too politicalized and technocratic. Because we must always keep the essential value in mind and that is the integrity is the bed rock of what we do. It's important for each officer, it's important for the department, and that includes even providing the biggest bang for the buck for the taxpayer out there. I've done some calculations which I would be proud to have your budget office verify for us. But I think that it only takes about 7/10ths as much for sheriff margo frasier to put a good cop on the street as it takes some other agencies in this area. And so we are -- we are -- ought to be proud of the efficiency that we provide for -- for public safety in our county. I know that having to pass this job on to doyne bailey that he will continue that sort of attitude. It next thing that I would like to do is comment a little bit in a way of thanks to you commissioners. Even though we've had our disagreements. Even though you may continue to disagree, even with the sheriff who is pretty much always right -- [laughter] -- if you have a question about something just ask her and she will help you with it. But -- but the fact is that -- that you have gone to the trouble, you mentioned elections, judge. You have gone to the trouble to take on these jobs and I frequently over the years have wondered why in the world does any elected official do it? I might have had a chance to do it myself and I thought about it and talked it over with my wife and we decided no, we don't need that. And so why do you do it? Well, obviously at the county level you don't do it for the money. You don't do it because it's an easy job because it's never over. You have to go to barbecues and neighborhood groups and et cetera, et cetera, after 5:00. You have to go out and stay in touch with your constituents. And so it's never over. Do you do it for recognition and appreciation? Well, maybe you do. You get some recognition, but I think that -- that the -- that the appreciation that you get is far overweighed by the criticism that you catch. Do you do it because of a sense of duty? Well, that's about the only option that's left. You have -- you have a role to play in our communities and I think that you know that you have that role. And I can tell you, anybody that wants to listen, that my experience with commissioners over the years has been that we have fundamental honesty in these public offices, that the public officials, you all and your predecessors are really concerned and try to do the right thing for the taxpayers and for the voters out there in the county. This is not something that we have in every country around the world. And if we lose that, we have lost everything. You all take the criticism that comes from the decline in public discourse, because you know that you believe in free speech and you believe in people having an opportunity to -- to say whatever they want to say regardless of whether it amounts to demagogery or whether it comes from some over active imagination. You sit there and take it. I have been -- I have been embarrassed on behalf of some of the abuse that's been heaped on you, particularly I will make a comment about you, commissioner Sonleitner. You have been treated in a most ungentlemanly fashion over and over. And I wish that it hadn't happened. But nevertheless you all, you are not the only one of course, but nevertheless you all continue to serve. I believe that the county government is the most open and the most participatetory form of government. Sometimes what we see goes on in other places, meetings, et cetera, is not necessarily pretty. But it's the most real type of public participation and public government that there is. Because it involves accountability from the individual office holders from the commissioners court to the sheriff to the district attorney to the various office holders, people know who to blame. Buddy, sometimes they do blame you all. I also want to -- to express my appreciation and recognition to each of the sheriffs that I have been privileged to work with and for. Doyne brought me aboard. I think that -- that doyne recognized me because maybe I stopped him on the parking lot one day and congratulated him for being elected sheriff. A few days later he called me up and offered me a job. [laughter] he was -- he was pretty darn desperate I guess in those days. I want to -- I want to thank sheriff terry keel for letting me serve with him. I remember one day woody simmons and I were out in the snow storm and we saw this young district -- assistant district attorney lost in the snow walking down the street. We gave him a ride to some safe and warm place. I think maybe his -- his residence or something down on south lamar area. And later on, I got to work for that guy. He was -- he was the sheriff. And then sheriff margo frasier. Who has -- I don't know -- you know, I didn't save her from the snow storm and I didn't say anything to her, you know, in the parking lot, but I use margo as my example of why it's always good to keep your bridges in good repair. Because margo was actually two ranks below me at the time that she left the sheriff's office as captain of the jail. And at the time I knew that we were going to miss her. And I knew that she had a great talent to offer. And I don't remember ever saying that really to her like I wish I had. But later on, when she came back as sheriff, she has set an example of humaneness and concern for the department and belief in the fundamental values of the department that I will always treasure. There have been features of this job that have been very difficult for me. And I think it could be boiled down to say that -- that really since about 1983, I have -- I have sort of hated the job. But I have loved the people and I have loved the mission of the agency. And I have -- and I have been determined to -- to support and serve the people of the agency throughout the whole time. The -- the last thing that I would like to do is recognize some of my great co-workers. I can't name them off, I have already taken too much of your time. My secretary josie, major balagia, major pickering, trevino, roger wade and sergeant jericha. These people are no loarng my direct reports. They are my good friends. No longer. I admire and appreciate each of them. Last I would like to say thanks to my lovely child bride deborah. [laughter] and she -- she understands about how it is to work in county government and she has been one that's kept me sane over the last few years. And I can't say enough in appreciation to her. So ... With that, I just want to recap my thanks to you for the -- for the wonderful resolution that you passed. And the declaration of the day. That's a pretty slick -- slick little notation there. That's quite an hon for, I'm thor -- quite an honor. I'm thoroughly honored to have been a member of Travis County government, before that a member of local government with the city of Austin. And I'm thoroughly honored to have been with and worked with all of you and all of my co-workers at the sheriff's office and in county government at large. I have nothing but admireiation and respect for you and for the form of government that we have here. Thank you.
>> thank you. [ applause ] [ applause ]
>> when you listen to dan, you understand why -- why three sheriffs would decide that they wanted him to be at -- their right hand. He is -- he is a person of incredible integrity. And has always -- been a person that you can count on, to always do what he said and to always have firstmost in his mind service to the public. I will miss dan greatly, but I -- you know, part of my condition of letting him go was that he will -- he will be around and so I will have the fortune of continuing to have him as my friend and my mentor. But it is a great loss to Travis County. But we are certainly greater in this county for having had him serve us for 22 years. And I -- I knew when his -- when his lovely child bride, as he calls her, when deborah retired from working with the district judges, I kept waiting for that other shoe to drop and the time where she would tell me she had shared him long enough with me. So I was not surprised when he told me that he was going to retire. But I was saddened because I think he -- somebody asked me one time something about, you know, about people, what roles they play and I realized that dan often is a person that is not as much in the limelight sometimes as some other people are within the sheriff's office. But there is -- there is not a decision that has come out of the sheriff's office, I will at least say in my 6 plus years of tenure, that doesn't have dan's influence in him. Because everyone in the department respects his opinion and his guidance. I thank you for having honored him today because I do feel that the court is -- my partner and his partner in -- in giving good public safety and providing that public safety to the public and we can only do it in a partnership and I know that dan has -- has honored and respected the partnership he has with the court and so it's very fitting that you would honor him today. I thank you.
>> thank you.
>> we appreciate your many years of hard work.
>> thank you.
>> thank you so much.
>> I was amazed when you went through that list of all of the folks that you have served with from chief miles and how many of those people that I actually knew and had the pleasure of working with as well. I know that you have talked about a lot of really high profile things where people have seen you in action, but there were so many other things that you served on in terms of your capacity, in terms of all sorts of subcommittees of making things happen like east command, west command, the 911 rdmt project, combined communication center. People have no real appreciation for the amount of time and effort that you put in behind the scenes. Certainly helping us be a very good naishtat to central christian church, I know that's something very near and dear to your heart. I am hopeful that you are going to handle your retirement the same way take deborah has. Every time I seem to call over to judge muir's office, she's still there. [laughter] it really didn't mean anything, it's just a technicality. I wish you both the very best. Thank you for your time, thank you for your comments.
>> thank you.
>> dan, I would like to say that -- that it's been really a privilege and a thrill for me to work with you. They have a lot of issues, sheriff I think you made a good selection when you chose dan to work with you. He's really going to be a mention link within Travis County government. Of course we are going to miss you dan. I want to let you know that.
>> thank you, commissioner.
>> cookies for those who can spare five minutes after this vote. That's what my e-mail said.
>> > we have it.
>> drink a glass for us.
>> all right.
>> in the old dan richards fashion, we will be here at work. All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. We have a proclamation for you to take into retirement with you. [inaudible] [inaudible - no mic] you may need one. [ applause ]
>> you know, actually, judge, we joked about the fact when I interviewed doyne bailey to be dan's replacement, he had a beard, I told him that beard had to go, that he could not have a beard at the sheriff's office. Dan shows up today with a beard. I looked at doyne, what did you do box it up and ship it over to him? [laughter] thank you.
>> thank you all.
>> thanks.
Last Modified: Wednesday, April 2, 2003 10:25 AM