OFFICE OF CONSTABLE VICTOR TREVINO PCT NO. 6 * HARRIS COUNTY 333 Lockwood * Houston, TX. 77011 (713) 923-9156 (713) 921-2334 Fx

The elected Constable for Precinct 6 since 1989 is Victor Trevino. Constable Trevino has gained numerous awards for his reserve Deputy programs and is well respected for his unending support for volunteer peace officers. There are currently 150 reserves serving the crime ridden Houston inter city Precinct 6 area. Programs include The Parole Violator Task Force, Absent Students Assistance Project, DWI Task Force, Warrant Division and others. Our efforts have been documented on Fox TV City Under Siege, 48 Hours, The Crusaders, The Washington Post, The Pioneer Institute in Boston and other publications. All Deputies meet or exceed State required training which is equal to that of paid officers. Pct. 6 Deputies have provided $4.8 million worth of FREE service to Harris County from 1991 through 1995 and counting.

ABOUT VOLUNTEER/RESERVE OFFICERS: Volunteer/ Reserve Deputies must complete the State approved Basic Peace Officer Certification course which is now over 600 hours. Most do this training at their own expense through The University of Houston, The Houston Community College System or at other area colleges. Several volunteer Deputies are retired police officers. Deputies at Precinct 6 are required to be bonded and put in 24 hours of service per month in addition to State required in-service classes. Deputies must pay for their own uniforms, weapon and leather gear. A benefit for these volunteers is the experience, free or low cost training and a chance to build a good resume while contributing to the community. Many volunteers move on to full time paid positions at area departments. Each team of Deputies are supervised by a Sergeant.

PAROLE VIOLATOR TASK FORCE (ZEBRA SQUAD): In 1991 there where about 22,000 parolees in Harris County. Of those, about 6,000 were violators of their parole conditions. Between 60 and 70 percent of parole violators are repeat criminal offenders. No Law Enforcement agency was tracking down these offenders. The Texas Parole Board was issuing between 70 and 120 felony parole violation warrants each week. Constable Trevino formed the first Task Force to track down these offenders using 20 trained volunteer Deputies and returning violators to prison. The Squad became known as the "Zebra" Squad. From 1991 to date, the Zebra Squad has arrested well over 2,000 parole violators. The Squad received a great deal of attention from newspapers and TV programs. Other departments copied the Zebra Squads' operation using paid officers. The Zebra Squad is still in operation today using dedicated volunteer Deputies.

ABSENT STUDENTS ASSISTANCE PROJECT: Another major problem in the Precinct 6 area was high truancy rates among middle schools. The program started with volunteer Deputies visiting homes of absent students. The idea is simple, get kids in school and limit the likely hood of them getting into trouble. The 8 middle schools selected for the program had a combined absent rate of about 800 students per day. After the first week of operation, the rate dropped to about 300 absent students. Seeing the success, the Houston School District funded the program the next school year but relied on a supplement of 100 volunteer Deputies. There are now 10 paid Deputies and a Sergeant working 8 middle schools and 2- 9th grade classes. The program is now in its' third year. Volunteer/Reserve Deputies have made this possible through their dedication, training and caring. One paid Sergeant oversees the eight paid and 80 volunteer Deputies.

OTHER DUTIES OF VOLUNTEER DEPUTIES: The DWI Squad patrols the streets of Houston on Friday, Saturday and some holidays looking for drunk drivers. These Deputies are trained on DWI arrests and some are trained to operate the intoxilyzer machine. The Community Service Division provides service to schools, churches and local citizen groups as well as coordinating a baseball Little League. There are 7 Deputies who own and use police motorcycles in Pct. 6. Merchants in the this east community joined together to provide police bicycles for Reserve Officers to patrol stores and shops. This program is expanding to other ares of the precinct. All of these programs and others now ongoing are possible because of Volunteer/Reserve peace officers who are paid with nothing but an occasional thank you.

WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE ON PCT. 6

PIONEER INSTITUTE ORIGINAL TEXT