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Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement
2024: Ranked #1 Law Podcast
Host: Tyler Owen and Clint McNear discussing topics, issues, and stories within the law enforcement community. TMPA is the voice of Texas Law Enforcement, focused on protecting those who serve. Since 1950, we have been defending the rights and interests of Texas Peace Officers by providing the best legal assistance in the country, effective lobbying at state and local levels, affordable training, and exemplary member support. As the largest law enforcement association in Texas, TMPA is proud to represent 33,000 local, county and state law enforcement officers.
Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement
#120- "Blue Hearts, Strong Futures" with Felicia Barragan
At just 26 years old, Edinburg Police Officer Felicia Barragan has already lived a lifetime of service. A U.S. Army veteran, patrol officer, and self-defense instructor, Barragan is also the founder of the Blue Heart Initiative—a grassroots program designed to connect law enforcement officers with elementary students in her community.
In this episode, we dive into Barragan’s journey from soldier to street cop, and how her vision for the Blue Heart Initiative is shaping the next generation’s perception of law enforcement. With a focus on mentorship, trust, and human connection, Barragan is proving that the badge isn’t just about enforcement—it’s about inspiration.
Listeners will walk away with a powerful reminder of how young officers can lead change, strengthen communities, and leave a lasting legacy that extends far beyond their uniform.
email us at- bluegrit@tmpa.org
The kids, but for the teachers, for the school, for the community, but also like my fellow co-workers, and it helps like the shift a little bit too. So when the selfie dog starts getting like excited for, like you know, during the briefing before we go out and we start off the shift, good and everybody has like good vibes everywhere, it's honestly like the best feeling. You feel like you're on the best shift ever.
Speaker 2:Welcome back. Viewers, watchers, listeners I'm your host, tyler Owen. Again, I hope you guys and ladies are staying safe, staying cool as the summer dwindles down. Again it's football season, so a lot of stuff's going on. Thank you so much to all of our university police officers who are having to deal with these crazy drunk crowds as they're taking on all these football matches every single Saturday. Tmpa things are kind of just moving along. We're coming off the heels of the summertime trying to plan the Texas Peace Office Memorial. When that date becomes available, I will be pushing that information out. We have yet to hear from TPOM to confirm whether we're going to continue what we did last year and do a two-day I mean a one-day or if it's going to be two days. Once that information comes available, we are going to push that information out. Today's guest, edinburgh Police Department, felicia Berrigan How's it going?
Speaker 1:Doing great. So you're speaking about football season. I had to give a shout out to the Vaqueros. It's their first year.
Speaker 2:It is Phenomenal facilities. For those who don't know, the Rio Grande Valley now has a college collegiate D1 football team. What town are they in? They're in Edinburgh, Right there home. Have they offered the police department members discounts? Oh no.
Speaker 1:We work in them, though, so that's all that matters.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's cool. Hey, that's big news for the Valley. I'm super excited. A friend of mine was getting recruited by them, or a friend of mine's son, and he didn't go there. But the talent that they've got. They had a couple of Texas State transfers and so big things are going on there in the Rio Grande Valley and next time I'm down there hopefully it will be before football season ends. I'm going to check it out. Football stadium is phenomenal. Let me know, have you been?
Speaker 1:No, the first Saturday, fortunately, I had my sister's Sweet 16, but I have season tickets. So if you need anything, a tailgate spot.
Speaker 2:I got you. That's awesome. How long has this kind of been in the works?
Speaker 1:It's been also, I think, more than a year that they got the coach and everything. So they've been preparing for a while. So the first game I mean you could tell already they were. I mean I think they blew them out.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then they just won their second game, so the next home game should be coming up, I think, this week.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. That's awesome. Well, I got a text message and a call from one of our directors, prime Rodriguez, who works at Edinburgh Police Department, and said hey, I got a story about Felicia and what she's doing. She's taken on and think it'd be a great episode. I there was a new story that came out. We pushed that here on tmpa and it is a fascinating story and for you being so new into law enforcement just under the five-year mark we wanted to bring you on and talk about that. But first and foremost, we talk about where you grew up, how you got in law enforcement. So let's just dive off into who the hell felicia is and then where, how, how you got to where you are today uh, yes, sir, I'm felicia varagon.
Speaker 1:I'm born and raised in edinburgh. I'm proud. Uh, my dad's a law enforcement. He worked as a lieutenant in the jail. My brother also was a sergeant for houston uh, precinct for harris county, shout out to them. Uh, so I've always been surrounded by law enforcement and strong roles in like the community. So, and growing up, all the teachers that from different stages, from elementary, middle school, high school, they've always pushed me to be better. I've always loved my community. So, leaving to the military, I was in the army for about three years, a combat engineer. I returned. I was like you know what I want to do more for my community. That gave back to me. So I became a police officer at the Edinburgh Police Department. I went to the SEC Police Academy. I've been there, since.
Speaker 2:How big for those that don't know, for the viewer and watcher. Edinburgh, by the way, is also in the Red Run Valley, if we didn't cover that already. But how big, how many officers does Edinburgh have? Full sworn.
Speaker 1:Full sworn I've got to say about maybe over 100.
Speaker 2:100? Yes, sir, that's a pretty good-sized department. I mean, we're not talking about a small, we're growing. Yeah, 100% yeah.
Speaker 2:So you started off with Edinburgh Police Department in the footsteps of your father as he was in the law enforcement officer with the prison system. Talk about growing up around somebody that was in law enforcement, not not a typical police officer. But you know, my daughter to this day no knows that if I get, if I get nervous around an individual when I was back home in East Texas, that it's just an individual that may may have used drugs and I've come in contact with them and I'm speaking to, like the grocery store instance, you cops out there. You understand what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:You're going down the aisle and you see the dirt bag that you got to. You know you got a dime bag off of or you got a little, you know a little paraphernalia or a meth pipe the night before and your kids are with you. It's just kind of an awkward moment. That's why it's so. It's so important for you guys to show to each other. But your dad, for example, if he comes in contact with somebody at a grocery store or a movie theater, it's a completely different animal. Talk about the different aspects that your dad, you, had to grow up with and if that ever happened to you as a prison guards.
Speaker 1:Kid shit man oh man growing up with my father. He, he really did push us. I gotta say there was a lot of discipline in the house, a lot of things that we had to work for and I think a lot of my care, like my characteristics, a lot of things that I do so good at my job and in life, is because the things he installed in me throughout life but we did every time we would go out I've always learned to hey, just watch your surroundings. Hey, if you see, see, see me give you that look. I knew that look he was giving me, I would learn how to like, move away and let him handle like a situation.
Speaker 1:But yeah, man, you could tell that not only were he's afraid, but a lot of people actually came up to him because he worked in the in-housing where they would slowly go back into like the regular life after prison. A lot of people came up to him and said thank you. They were like almost like a father figure, like I mean, growing up, where we're at, there's not, we didn't really have a lot of people that grew up with good homes, good father figures. So there's a lot of people that actually came up to him and shook their hand and I forgot to mention. I apologize. I used to work for the jail as well, for a year at the county jail, and I think At Hidalgo.
Speaker 1:Yeah, in Hidalgo I was doing a med pass and I remember one of the guys like hey, you got a dad named Felix I know that last name but it's not really common down there and I kind of like you know, step back. And I was like what is it to you? What's up? And he was like no, no, no, no, uh, tell your dad. He probably doesn't remember me, but they would call me flacko tell him I said thank you and I'm telling him I apologize.
Speaker 1:You're gonna tell me I'm still in here because I told him when I come back, but your dad's a good man and, uh, it looks like he's raising good daughters. So it was like a good balance of he would tell me how to respect people but also keep your grounding and be aware of your surroundings, you know. But also like, uh, the good side of like treat everybody as people.
Speaker 2:Well, and, and you working in the jail, it's so hard. Uh, I started off at Dallas County. Shout out to my Dallas County people, uh, who showed up at the conference this year. We had a great time with them, but it was so challenging for me. I was a listen. I'll call it what it is.
Speaker 2:I was an 18-year-old white kid from the suburb, didn't know a whole lot about how to speak to people from different economic regions and so forth, and so me jumping in or getting dumped into Dallas County jails for those who don't know is the second largest jail population or jail system within Texas and I think the fifth amongst the nation. It was a different animal, and so what I saw in my, my, my high school sweetheart. I then married later on. We're now together still. Uh, it was she, I, she. I remember her telling me that I changed as a person and I couldn't shut that jail aspect off.
Speaker 2:And it's. It's just so much different working in a jail than it being a police officer. Because police officer, you deal with different people with different economic classes, right, you deal with traffic stops, you deal with the Karens, and so in the jail, everybody there is is either they're awaiting trial or had been convicted and they're waiting to go to TDC, and there's a different way to talk to people when you're working in the jail. And I didn't know how to shut it off, and I was.
Speaker 2:I was learning myself as a young man too, uh, but what it? What I? What it did do for me is the ability to speak the language, know how to treat people, because if you're locked inside a pod with 38 people that that are in there for some pretty violent offenses, you know how the system works. Talk about that day, specifically about when you went home and told your decks I'm sure you called him as soon as you got outside and then talk about the learning aspect now, being an Edinburgh police officer working in the jail and being a product of a prison guard for so many years at TDC. Talk about what you learned and what you gained as a jailer.
Speaker 1:No, I went straight home when I told him and he said, like I hope this is like a full circle for you, like learning that you know. Also treat people as people like, with respect, and you'll see how it becomes a full circle, you know, and you never know with that guy I mean, you know how, like all the boss men of the the tanks. The tanks and stuff like that. So he probably told everybody else like, oh no, she's cool, you know you gain the respect of everybody else, so he was super he was super, like you could tell, like my dad's a little machismo.
Speaker 1:So he's like, oh, that's cool, but I know inside he was like, oh, like, I'm glad to hear that, uh, but the jail aspect, um, it's totally different, but it did prepare me a lot. And in the police world, because you learn how to talk to people you know, and it's like, well, they're in the police world, you, you see them once, you take that their report once, or you lock them up once, and maybe you won't see them there, but you're there every single day. Yeah, so you have to learn how to like You're living together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're living together, yeah.
Speaker 1:Verbal judo. You know, you can't just like go off on everybody, you have to like give and take, sometimes with these. You have to build these with these. Oh, the females, uh, we had mixed, I think we before. I think they changed it now, but back then we used to be in the guy pods as well, so we're like an echo pod. Echo pod was with all of like the, the crazies, the ones that they had to keep isolated. So so, growing up from the jail first, I I've learned a lot, because my dad started off there too.
Speaker 1:Just how do I say it, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:You're good With being a police officer on the street. You learn how to rationalize and communicate with people who are typically violent or people who have been in the system a while. Because, let's face it, sometimes when you're asking somebody on the street, hey, do you have X or do you have you got a gun on you? That sometimes when you're asking somebody on the street hey, do you have X or do you have you got a gun on you? You can tell by the body language, off your experience from the jail and basically how they respond to questions you ask. Because of your experience, you're already a step. You're way ahead of the game in the FTO process because of your jail experience. Agreed.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, especially that you hit it right on. It's also the way you talk no-transcript, you start watching them and it's. I don't know if anybody would have to ask like, what would prepare me more to be an officer? I think the jail would be, yeah, 100%.
Speaker 2:Well, in my traveling down to Edinburgh, what was pretty cool to me is the different suburbs of the main city. Down there is that there are nice, nice parts of the Rio Grande Valley. Okay, edinburgh seems like a cool place to work at because it's got a good mix. Sometimes you go to some of these cities across Texas and it's completely all poverty, or it's your Karens, your very, very class upscale communities. Edinburgh has got a good mix in it.
Speaker 2:With that mix there's maybe a little bit more on the economically challenged side and you, being a product of Edinburgh ISD, you started seeing a need when you were on patrol that you need to be more involved as a female police officer, involved with the school and the younger generation of the Edinburgh community, which is why we're here today to talk about an initiative that you started within the school district to bring in beat officers inside the schools to get to meet the kids, because it has such an impact on you. Let's go ahead and kick this off and talk about how you started the initiative, what the need and why you saw it was so important and the success stories building off of that.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir. So the program is Blue Heart Initiative. I started off because I remember growing up there was officers, like two officers that came in, one female officer and also my really good friends, dad. He was an officer who would come and I was like man, like he's cool, these people are super cool, like the badge and you know, like their uniform, like, and I was like you know what I want to do that someday. Um, so, growing up, and also, like I I said before, like the, the push that my teachers gave me through every, every elementary, middle school and high school, I want to mix it all all together. So I was like you know what? There we have different sectors in our in edinburgh, so one little piece maybe, there's like two, uh, elementaries in there. The other sector is two little little schools there. So I was like you know what these kids see us, our community policing, don't get me wrong, they COP, they do a lot, but they see us on the road. So I was like you know what? Let me get some of these officers who would go.
Speaker 1:We'll bring all mostly fifth graders we're aiming at right now because they're going to transition to middle school, which is a big transition. We play some basketball, we get them like a little bit like relaxed, you know, a little fun, and then we break them up into smaller groups so we have more one-on-one. And then we break them up into smaller groups so we have more one-on-one, and we don't just talk to them about drugs, which is really important, but we talk to them about what we're really aiming right now is TikTok. All of them are on TikTok and they're seeing a lot of bad examples on TikTok. But also we tell them about peer pressure, because when you go to middle school, they're going to be the little dogs and we don't want them to get peer pressure in anything. We also remind them like, hey, you after the age of 10, you're held accountable for your actions really, yeah, you think a little bit more about that.
Speaker 1:but also the core of it is vote, tell them to focus more on school, to dive in with their teachers, that their teachers are here for them, but also connect with them and see if anything's going on at home. Yeah, and we that's. And you won't believe it, but some of them we would tell like, hey, can I talk to you? And they'll tell us what's going on at home and I'll tell these officers that are that are are with them, like, hey, if they're in your beat, try to do a follow-up, go to go check on them, and maybe that'll be a difference.
Speaker 1:And I think one one kid was really struggling in school and at home and we did a checkup at home and we would talk to the parents and so people just need that little guidance, a little push on the parenting side, even on the kid's side. I mean half ways and slowly he started doing better in school. I would check up every week, every Friday, and I think he didn't believe me, but he saw me show up every Friday. He's like, oh, she really did show up and yeah, he started, excuse me, he started to do uh, really good and uh also, I think, this other.
Speaker 1:we don't have really a a curfew, so these kids can be out, like you know, during the day and uh there was these kids that were like an abandoned house, and I remember one of them and they don't want to tell us where they were, where they were doing, where they're coming from, where their parents are at. And we kind of forced them to tell us where they were doing, where they're coming from, where their parents are at. And we kind of forced them to tell us. And I remember one of them looking at us and saying hey, can I? The female was like can I talk to you real quick? And then she was like I was like hey, you remember, you're the one that stuffed me in basketball. And she's like yeah, I remember, ma'am, you're super cool. And I said is that regional, okay? Like, are you, where are you here? Like, is your parents know you're here?
Speaker 1:And she slowly just started to cry and like, open up and, um, she ended up telling us what they were doing, which is when it wasn't leading to anything good. We ended up getting her home and then slowly I marked where she lived. So, excuse me, so for the next time, and you just keep like that mind in place. To go back to that, I understand a lot of cops get a little bit burned out or a little bit like, like, like the jobs, they start losing a little bit of feeling of the job. So those patrol officers when they go and they see like the joann, these kids, it gets kind of like a refresher for them to refresh like their battery. So that's another plus too well and what?
Speaker 2:what's so fascinating is that I was just talking to a friend of mine the other day that lives in East Texas and we worked together on patrol and, admittedly, we both admit this we were getting burned out. And for you, an officer that's not been in Edinburgh for five years, number one to take the initiative to do this kudos, but number two to get the buy-in from people that have been at Edinburgh longer than you and that are probably currently going through burnout or on the approach of burnout. How did you get that done? Because that's going to be the secret right now.
Speaker 2:Some of these podcasts people that are listening or watching this are going to go. How the hell did you do that? Listen, we've all got that one salty dog that's been on patrol for 29, 35 years, that didn't promote, is just on the job and he's he, he or she is going from call to call to call and then they go home and there's no other expectation than just that. Right, and I think when I was on patrol, seeing those type of officers we call them the roosters or the vets right, seeing those types of officers interact and seeing them light up like oh, my God, making a difference today. That's the most rewarding part, but how did you get those people involved in this initiative?
Speaker 1:oh, my god it was. I was annoying, I'll tell you that I I kept pushing him, one of the salty dogs on my shift. I was like, come on, man, let's, let's try it out. Like and not that he was super negative, but he was just like no, it won't work. No, hey, no, that's not gonna. You know that, just like it's just burnout. I was like, bro, just give me, just give it one chance, that's all I ask. Just give it one chance.
Speaker 1:And I kept on, kept on, kept on, and he finally came out and let's just say he, he went to a lot more yeah those of those every time he's like you can do that again next week, yeah yeah, you want to come out and do it and I think that's what, um, uh, that's like also was like so so cool about it that it just filled every aspect, like not even just one. It was just not the kids, but for the teachers, for the school, for the community, but also like my fellow footworkers, and it's in it and it helps like the shift a little bit too. So when the salty dog starts getting like, like excited for, like you know, during the briefing, before we go out and we start off the shift, good and everybody has like good vibes everywhere, it's it's honestly like the best feeling and you feel like you're on the best shift ever and I think it just pushes out more of like like how do I say it? Like good work to the community you know.
Speaker 2:I mean, does edinburgh have an explorer program in place right now, or is this, as this fed into an explorer opportunity for the younger generation?
Speaker 1:you asked that, so I was actually in a uh, the mccallan post explore program 1924, correct? Me if I'm wrong, if the number is not right, but I actually just sent up uh idc a memo to my chief to open up the first one there in the post-explore program in 1924. Correct me if I'm wrong, the number's not right. But I actually just sent up IDC a memo to my chief to open up the first one there in the valley.
Speaker 2:So it's so important to know this Me and Clint talk about this time and time and time again If you don't have experience in law enforcement, one of the other aspects of their explore program is to get one started. And listen, not every department needs one, I'm going to say it right there. If you're a small department and you can't handle the manpower, that's one thing. Edinburgh's big enough, y'all can handle it. It reaches out to the community. It gets the interest of law enforcement up, because I was up for the age to be one at Irving, where I grew up at.
Speaker 2:I never was able to do it because I got moved off to East Texas, texas, but they're so impactful Friends of mine that I grew up with that are now Irving police officers and work at Dallas County or Dallas Police Department were products of the Explorer program, and so I think it's imperative and you've got my number now I'll do anything I can and me or Prime or JP can do anything we can to get this initiative going. If more departments were doing what you were doing, if more officers were getting these initiatives going, I think we would not be in the crisis we are right now with the retention and recruitment process, with law enforcement Is there in your experience or your research through starting this Explorer program? How in-depth is it to get one off the ground? And I guess we haven't crossed it, so your chief sounds off on it, correct?
Speaker 1:no, no, no, no. So oh, the process of it. You get a register with boy scouts of america okay, you'd get your post number there, and then they have policies and regulations that you have to follow. I think it's like one advisor per five members and you would start, you slowly go from there and then, of course, you start recruiting and stuff like that. I'm actually teaming up. Hopefully it goes through. Chiefs, it's a great idea. I'll pitch it any day. Yeah, I think when you say like, oh, what's like proof, that'll work, I feel like I'm living proof.
Speaker 1:I was there with the Exposed program. Shout out to Mrs and Mr Viral. They're one of the advisors that I had there. Ms Peterson, starting off from McAllen, to like there's, I think there's one other guy that I went to, contreras. He's FAR department police officer. There's another one in the Navy, there's another one that's a trooper right now.
Speaker 1:So there's all these successful stories, but to start off with it, it's not. You just got to register, you got to get all the paperwork which you can. Anybody can get my number, mccallan post. There's like surrounding agencies. Dallas has one, corpus has one. They even have a website and I'm pretty sure that you date people can reach out there they're in texas to see how they their paperwork, because they gotta apply. You start recruiting, you gotta apply your kids and basically the whole academy is yours, whether you want to do a small academy, whether you don't want to do the academy, how you want your uniforms, but basically the hardest academy is yours, whether you want to do a small academy, whether you don't want to do an academy, or you want your uniforms, but basically the hardest thing is just to get approval from your admin and then applying to Boy Scouts America, which is not that hard.
Speaker 2:So do we know specifically who funds it? I mean, obviously, if you were to do this Edinburgh y'all's rules and regulations at the top, is it volunteered by the officers, or they get paid, or how is it funded? Is it the city takes on that, that burden and that responsibility as an, as an outreach to the community?
Speaker 1:so from when I learned from the mccallan post, uh, mccallan post have somebody detailed to it, but my past advisors when I went they were uh, like volunteered. Mostly I don't mind volunteering, but I think it's all up on your, on your admin, whether they want to know like pay you on the clock for it or off. But I already was going into it with I'll volunteer my time you know, wherever I can make available.
Speaker 1:And that's what was cool Partnering with McAllen was. In case I can't make it or I'm working, we're putting our cadets together. So, you know we could share. Like that time and training, there's their facility and our facility. Like that time and training, there's their facility and our facility. But other than that, it's all on your, on your admin, how you, how you get paid with it doing it and you just touched on a while ago.
Speaker 2:A lot of the people that you graduated with or that you were in that post with are now successful in some type of military or law enforcement fashion. Give us some idea, just for those that don't know or have been living in a closet for 20 years or 50 years. Is that? What exactly does an Explorer Post do? Talk about the processes and talk about, maybe, the daily. I think the one in Irving met like once or twice, once every two weeks, and they would have a full very much like Boy Scouts. They got to set uniform, they got to do, but they would do like law enforcement training drills and mock traffic stops and mock building searches. Give us some examples of what McAllen did.
Speaker 1:So I started off, I think in high school I was like a junior, but they're ages from like 14 to 20 for Boy Scouts, but you can stop at 18. And I believe when I was in McAllen Post they stopped at 18. So actually you apply, they choose your packet, then you get interviewed by them and then, if you get chosen, you go through an academy. That's what I did. So we went through like a week academy. It was actually a border patrol academy, dudes that ran their like physical academy, they ran ours.
Speaker 1:So you have like the whole, like actual, like police, like you have the name written on your back, like your shirt tucked in, make sure you hear it. Like profumery, hair slicked back and like military style. The whole thing like it's showing you the real deal, what you expect later on if you do decide to be a police officer or anything in that aspect. So after you pass it, we meet. We meet once, I think we met every wednesday and then every other week. We met wednesday and saturday, but it's nothing but uh training on, like you said, mock traffic stops, active shooter building searches, uh CSI investigations, accidents investigations and all that stuff. So after you train they'll pick like the best teams.
Speaker 1:I think that we had two teams, so four and four, and we would train all over. Excuse me, we would compete all over Texas, like the last one I went to was El Campo and we trained in like active shooter and it's actually like the same rounds and everything too. So it's pretty realistic. So and then you, they place you on different like oh, if you got first on that division or and stuff like that. But also there was a lot of like scholarship opportunities. There was, I think I went to virginia with my advisors and it was like a week long of camping covered by covered by the boy scouts of america. And we did like a week long of camping covered by the Boy Scouts of America and we did like a lot of like zip lining, kayaking and a lot of cool stuff. And then for police week they would send whichever many they can that year to police week in Washington and you would like.
Speaker 2:And they would serve as volunteers Some of the flight. They can a lot. I mean, that's where their pool of volunteers come from. You know some of these posts.
Speaker 2:So again, if the Edinburgh Chiefs listening or watching this podcast, chief, I'm telling you, if you do that, you're building a culture of within. Think about it. If all these kids or students within that community not just Edinburgh but the surrounding cities if they're looking at your mentors as the Edinburgh police officers that are mentoring these kids, why wouldn't you do that right? Mentors as the Edinburgh police officers that are mentoring these kids, why wouldn't you do that right? And if it's a funding issue, I don't think any city council on any type of government with the exception of Texas City, and that's for a whole different episode why wouldn't you do that? A lot of departments spend a lot of money and a lot of resources and a lot of time on recruiting efforts and you can have this on your back door and have your officers involved with the community. So it serves a dual purpose.
Speaker 2:You mentioned earlier again, a lot of people you graduated with from McAllen were successful in the military or law enforcement. But what I challenge is that I wonder how many didn't go to prison, or how many wasn't arrested, or how many didn't get on drugs, or how many successful father figures or mothers that were built out of that program that we necessarily couldn't link to law enforcement, military, but how many of those people were successful members of the Edinburgh Society or McAllen Society because of that program. So kudos again, hats off for another initiative that you started, because it looks like it's trending into something you thought, or is trending into something bigger than what you actually thought.
Speaker 1:Back to the funding we paid, I think, at the end of the year, so there wouldn't be any really funding from them and the McAllen they recycled. I mean, if you go to your corner, master, there's a lot of stuff in there that's not being used.
Speaker 1:So, that's what McAllen, whatever Joe, did. We used their old pads, their old belts, their old belt keepers and stuff like that. And our funding that we paid at the end of the year was mostly for our dress, like our class A uniforms. So when we go compete and just our polos and just like extra stuff like in case, like for snacks and stuff when we go go over, like on Saturdays, to train all day, but the same thing here I would use the same fundamentals and use like all the stuff that we don't use in quartermaster. Yeah, stuff like that. But it's a good mental role. I mean, I remember, I think I I was a little, um, little mouthy growing up, you know, but and I remember mrs ralph shout out to her, she, they put me on, check on there and they said, hey, this is, you gotta want to be here, you gotta want it.
Speaker 1:You don't want to be here, you don't gotta be here yeah you know you're here to grow, you're here to learn, you're here to be. You know to because you want to be here, not because we're forcing you, you know. So I remember they sat me down and, like I said, they counseled me at roy road and they said the next time this happens that I would be taken out of the out of the thing. So I got pushed in many ways and I ended up being for that.
Speaker 1:I ended up going all the way up to captain, you know there, and competing and getting first place with a lot of, with a lot of the teams like Contreras, like I said, um, I think, miss uh De La Rosa, the ones that are all like successful, uh, careers right now. So, like I said, it's more for the kids and they don't even have to go to law enforcement. It's just something that you build and you get mentors to to you to guide you and stuff like that. And there's been a lot of other examples that my advisors had to guide me through going through, especially through high school. High school is like a really challenging stage for young people and I think that's where you really have to set the seed and set the stone of where you want to be when you grow up?
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure, and I can speak on me growing up in the city of Irving, which is very, very significantly larger than Edinburgh, but when I was growing up there, edinburgh seems to have the similar traits in the sense of the equal economic regions. I guess is what I'm trying to say best. Me going to Edinburgh, I saw a lot of similarities in Irving. It's very diverse, both on the financial side, but also the people of Irving, and so Irving's Explorer post was very successful, and so I hope that you can get this off the ground and again use me as a resource. If you want to, I can certainly help out whichever way we can. So, hey, is there anything else that you wanted to cover about this initiative that you got going on?
Speaker 1:No, I just hope that anybody that's listening to this it doesn't have to be that you could find your own like thing to connect them with. I just chose basketball because I love basketball and it's a little easier to get them all in there and if they're not watching they're on the side like cheering and stuff like that. But really connect to like the start of your community. Because I always tell these kids I'm like hey, where do you want me to see you? Do you want me to see you with me, right and back my police car?
Speaker 1:because this is reality you know, sometimes you got to tell these kids like, which is it going to be, I'm going to see you later here, we're going to later, I'm going to see you run into you because you're somewhere like a pillar in this community or or, you know, run into an age to be like oh hey, ma'am, like I remember you from, you know you want to run into me in a good way, in a bad way reality.
Speaker 2:well, again, I can't tell you how much I appreciate number one, you starting this. But, number two, it seems like don't take this the wrong way, and I hope your generation doesn't either, but your generation of law enforcement officers that are entering this profession not that they got into it for the wrong reasons, but it seems like they're just straight business, that they're almost robotic in that. I think they go, they get burned out. They came into law enforcement at a time that George Floyd, on the heels of George Floyd, where anything and everything they do is extremely examined and micromanaged to a certain degree from the administration. And so what you see? You see a lot of officers that are in their downtime, sitting in a parking lot with their windows rolled up the tents there, and they're playing on their phones, and they're playing video games on their phones or watching YouTube. And I think that you taking this initiative is thinking outside the box because, let's just face it, there wasn't a book for you to look up and say, okay, this is how I do this. You went with your heart, you went with your gut, and now look at where you are now, on the heels of starting an Explorer program at a post that never has existed, because you knew it was the right thing to do. And so, from a cop standpoint that's been in this business for 20 years and now working for TMPA, hats off to you, sister, because you are starting the next generation and instilling those values into people getting interested in law enforcement.
Speaker 2:When I was growing up, cops the TV show was the shit. That was the thing to do, the thing to watch and I think that's where we saw a lot of improvement in my age group was because, thanks to that TV show, as stupid as it sounds, that's the reality. And so we've got to think outside the box, and programs like what you're doing is exactly this step. I appreciate that. I appreciate you. Hey, we're going to wrap things up here. I'm going to start off with my three rapid-fire questions. I hope you studied for them. Let's go All right. What is your favorite patrol car you've ever driven? What's your favorite drink of choice when you're enjoying time off away from the job? And what is your favorite live from the cop movie?
Speaker 1:My favorite patrol car is going to be a Ford Explorer that I came into, and then it's going to be Fireball. It's going to be Fireball and Diet Coke.
Speaker 2:Fireball and Diet Coke. I've never heard that mixture before. I'll have to try that out.
Speaker 1:And then also my favorite movie was End of.
Speaker 2:Watch. End of Watch. That right there Clint talks about it a lot on the show is that that probably depicts the best banter amongst law enforcement, the bullshit that cops kind of put each other through, that little love-hate relationship, but also the reality of inside the patrol room, the patrol briefing room, and inside the patrol room, the patrol briefing room and inside the patrol car when two cops are kind of going at it. It's probably the best movie that you can depict a cop's life period, part done. Well, is there any way that people can contact you or reach out on this initiative? If you want to channel it through TMPA, that's perfectly fine. We can reach out to you and coordinate that If somebody's interested in starting a program like you started there in.
Speaker 1:Edinburgh. How would they get in contact with you? If it's through us, that's perfectly good. It could be through you all. I can leave my work phone number. My work phone is 956-378-8290. They connect with me. Ask any questions, I'm open. If you want to give me ideas, I'm open. My name's Fred.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and if you guys want to send us an email, we can channel that through to get to her. To Felicia, it's bluegrit at tmpaorg. We can certainly facilitate the meeting or the information being distributed. I can't thank you enough for coming on. I can't thank you enough for what you do and continuing the legacy of your last name with your father. You and your brothers are still in law enforcement and continuing that last name. So thank you, ian, for starting this initiative. So I greatly appreciate it. Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:I just want to thank TMPA for having me the leadership from up there, but also the leadership and of course, in my department I couldn't do it without my leadership all those leaders, my sergeants, my lieutenants, pushing me and getting me where I'm at. I couldn't be where I'm at with them.
Speaker 2:It makes a big difference when you go to work every day and you enjoy, you know. And good leadership does matter and sadly we see it more often than people when contacting TNPA because they're in an issue. But the reality is is that law enforcement in general, they're led by men and women who love their job and love the profession, and so we need good leadership. And when good leadership's good, obviously it reflects on their people on the street. So, yeah for sure, hey, you guys, take care, stay safe. Y'all be in tune. We're fixing to again push that information out, but Texas Peace Office Memorial coming up. It'll be announced most likely in the next couple of weeks. So be looking out for that information. You guys, take care, stay safe, god bless you and, as always, may God bless Texas, bless Texas. We're out.
Speaker 1:The the the name Zafira means ''Pure'' Religion, ''major'' Religion, ''pure'' Religion, ''major'' Religion ''Muslim'', thank you. The name Isalman means the land of the people of the world Religion. The name Isalman means the land of the people of the world Religion, thank you.
