Author: HCMUD 150

Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez

As June is upon us, so is the official start of summer. We have many things to celebrate this month as an agency and individuals.

Recognitions like Pride Month, Juneteenth and Flag Day are all opportunities to bring unity and fellowship to our community. Together, we are always stronger.

We must also recognize the sorrows and tragedies that occurred in our nation this month. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of those lost in Uvalde.

June Celebrations

As an agency, we celebrated multiple occasions this month.

Notably, this included Pride Month and Juneteenth.

Through parades and community events, ours teams enjoyed meeting all the new faces and familiar smiles.

Father’s Day, Flag Day, Women’s Veterans Day and the US Army Birthday were also among the celebrations.

End of Watch: Ride to Remember

Members of the National End of Watch Ride, came through Harris County to honor our four teammates lost in the Line of Duty during 2021.

Families and teammates of these heroes, gathered at our Training Academy to receive the riders in a moment of remembrance.

Recidivism Reduction Initiatives

We have multiple programs throughout our detention centers designed to reduce the chances of seeing an inmate in our system after they are released.

This month, we had graduates complete their In2Work program.

In partnership with Houston ISD’d Community Service School, one young woman earned her high school diploma. She wants to become a nurse one day and help others.

Programs like these are vital in preparing the men and women in our detention centers to return to life in the community.

Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez

Once again, we are faced with deep loss.

Deputy Robert Adam Howard was serving his community when he was involved in a vehicle accident that tragically took his life.

He is survived by his wife, their two children, as well as many friends and family.

We will never understand why things happen the way they do or when they do, but we do know one thing.

Our family of blue will continue to stand behind the Families of our Fallen Officers. We will always remember their courage and dedication to serving our community.

Gone But Never Forgotten.

National Police Week

Honoring the Fallen of 2021

This year, teammates and family members of Fallen Officers traveled to Washington D.C. to honor the service, dedication and sacrifice of four brave men.

It is important as we look to the future, we must also never forget those that came before us.

Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office Teammates lost in the Line of Duty during 2021:

• Detention Officer Robert Perez
• Deputy Shaun Waters
• Deputy Alexander Gwosdz
• Deputy Joshua Sieman

National Correction Officers and Employee Appreciation Week

This month we celebrated our dedicated teammates who work as correction officers or as support teams in the jail.

We celebrated with cake, lunch and employee resources to honor our outstanding teammates.

Thank you all for what you do!

Military Appreciation Luncheon

May is Military Appreciation Month. May also holds multiple military holidays like Armed Forced Day.

To celebrate, our Office of Military Relations hosted a luncheon for our veteran teammates and those still serving in the Armed Forces.

We value our military service men and women who have chosen to continue their life of service here in Harris County.

Connecting in Our Community

Members of our Community Engagement Team are always doing just that, engaging with citizens in the Harris County community.

Throughout the month, teams have participated in numerous events diligently working to connect with and educate within our communities.

Just to name a few, Deputy M. Rivers attended the Harmony School of Advancement Senior’s Career Day, and 5Deputy L. Blanco joined the Sunshine Kids Foundation celebration in honor of National Police Week.

These are just a small example of what it means to serve your community.

To catch our team in action, make sure you follow our social media platforms!

Honoring Memorial Day

Flags 4 Heroes

Our Office of Military Relations hosted the 2nd Annual Flags 4 Heroes Event at the Houston National Cemetery. Each year the goal doubles, bringing this years total to almost 2,000 flags.

Teammates and community members placed flags on the graves to honor their service and say their names. As tradition goes, a loved one can never truly die so long as you keep their memory alive.

Thank you to the many people who came out and participated.

Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez:

April began tragically with the loss of Deputy Darren Almendarez.

Darren spent 23 years here as our teammate and friend, working as a Patrol Deputy in District 3 and as a Field Training Officer.

Most recently, Almendarez served as an Auto Theft Investigator where he worked closely with other agencies, like the Federal Bureau of Investigations, as part of the Multi-Agency Gang Task Force and the Auto Theft Task Force.

Darren loved what he did and was proud to serve our community.

More than a Deputy, he was a family man. His family meant the world to him, and they will forever be in our thoughts and prayers.

Our community was rocked once again by the loss of Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 7 Deputy Constable Jennifer Chavis only a few short days later.

Jennifer was a proud United States Army Veteran, graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Houston Downtown and her Master’s Degree from Texas Southern University. She was still pursuing her education when she passed.

Jennifer was also deeply connected to her family. She leaves behind a young son and many other loved ones.

It’s times like these we are reminded why our heroes do what they do and sacrifice so much to keep us safe.

I’m humbled and proud of the way our communities rallied together in their grief to honor and remember these two great heroes.

April is a Month of Awareness

April is Child Abuse Prevention month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Autism Awareness Month.

Our Crime Victim Assistance unit and other local community activists hosted multiple events throughout the month to shed light on these issues and educate the communities on solutions.

National 911 Public Safety Telecommunications Week

During the Week of April 10th through the 16th, we celebrated National 911 Public Safety Telecommunications Week.

Our Communications team members are the steady voice of calm between our communities and our officers.

Their attention to detail and ability to remain steadfast is key to successfully serving the people of Harris County.

To all our Communications Teammates, we extend a heartfelt thank you.

Connecting in Our Community

Our teammates were busy this month, out in various parts of Harris County getting to know our community members.

Our Mounted Patrol Unit and esteemed Mounted Patrol Horse, Chief, enjoyed a local Back the Blue event in District 4 at the Steve Radack Community Center.

Members from our Crime Scene Unit participated in a two-day Forensic Field Trip event hosted by Katy ISD.

Students were able to get up close and personal with the techniques and trade of crime scene forensics while getting to know the teammates who work in this area.

Remembering the Fallen in District 5

Our District 5 Patrol Substation honored it’s Fallen Teammates with a ceremony and touching tribute to Deputies who lost their lives in service to the District 5 community.

‌Deputy Darren H. Goforth, Deputy Omar Diaz, Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, Deputy Alexander Gwosdz, Deputy Joshua Sieman