ALDINE More than 25 north Houston residents received their bona fides to become the newest members of the Harris County Sheriffs Department Citizens Police team.
A ceremony for cadets was held on Thursday, October 17 where new Citizens Police Academy graduates received an address from Sheriffs Captain M.H. Talton and enjoyed a pizza dinner afterward.
Also present for the awards ceremony were Captain Susan Nixon, the coordinator and originator of the academy concept, Major Terry Enloe, Commander of the support services, and Deputy P.O. Roy.
Sheriffs Deputy Teddy Douthit, who helped train the cadets, said that although graduates of the 13-week course may choose to serve anywhere in Harris County, most stay close to home.
The CPA Graduates help us by adding eyes and ears out there on the street, said Douthit, a 13-year veteran of the force. They assist us in community outreach projects such as youth fingerprinting and bicycle safety programs, and once they complete the training, they are qualified to ride along on patrol with full-time deputies.
The graduation ceremony took place at 7 p.m. in the newly renovated Sheriffs Storefront facility at 5202 Aldine Mail Route. Reopened in September, the Storefront was expanded from approximately 4,000 to more than 7,500 square feet thanks to $278,000 in funding from the Aldine Improvement District.
District chairman Clyde Bailey said the board had chosen to fund renovations to give such law-enforcement units the space and opportunity to operate more effectively in Aldine. Were proud of these graduates and look forward to them working out of this new facility to better serve our community, he said.