THE INFORMANT
Vol. 10 No. 6 August 2008
Volunteer Opportunities
COP Training
Since the Advanced CPA course is still in
the planning stages, Sgt. Horton has agreed
to review COP procedures on an individual
basis. Completion of the individual training
will allow Alumni members to participate in
COP patrols as a rider only.
The individual training is open to new
Alumni members as well as those who have
not been previously trained in the COP
procedures.
Email Sgt Horton at rhorton@round-
rock.tx.us or give him a call at 512-218-
6658 to schedule a training session.
The Advanced COP course is in the
planning stages and details will be included
in a future Informant or The Snitch as soon
as possible.
Public Safe ty Day
The Alumni will again be participating in
Public Safety Day Saturday September 27th
from 10 am to 1 pm. This event is held on
the grounds of the Texas Baptist Children’s
Home at the intersection of Main and Mays
Streets.
Public Safety Day is an annual event that
showcases our local police, fire, and EMS,
giving Round Rock citizens the opportunity
to meet public safety personnel and learn
more about their functions.
The CPAAA will be making Kid ID Cards,
providing VIN etchings and handing out
goodies. At least 10 volunteers are needed
to adequately staff our events. Dana
Mueller has agreed to chair this project and
will have more details at our September
meeting.
Please consider volunteering for this event
as this is a fun, easy project and one of our
most well-attended events. Public Safety
Day will be added to the GoClub in the near
future – be sure and sign up soon!
Next CPA Class
The next CPA Class will start on Tuesday,
January 13, 2009! Application forms can be
found on the RRPD’s website by clicking on
this link: CPA application.
Please recruit friends, family members or
neighbors who are interested in learning
more about the Round Rock Police
Department and let’s help make this class
the biggest and best ever!
Still in the Planning
Stages :
Our 3rd Social of 2008
Social Committee Chair Benita Kohlmeyer
has done a wonderful job planning socials
this year. A big thanks for all her hard work
and creative efforts! Details of our next
social will be provided at our September
meeting.
Cont’d on page 2
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 2

Volunteer Opportunities, cont’d

Meet the Shift Update Alumni Bulletin Boards

The Alumni have been given permission to
attend patrol briefings and briefly introduce
ourselves.
Arrangements for our members to attend
patrol briefings will be made in the near
future after patrol shifts rotate from days to
nights in early September.
Stay tuned for more information in The
Snitch, The Informant and/or at future
meetings.
Our Alumni bulletin boards (previously
located on the 1st floor of Buildings A, B
and C at the old PD buildings) are in need of
a facelift! We have been given permission
to have an Alumni bulletin board in each of
the break rooms at the new PD facility.
So, put on your creative thinking caps and
plan on joining in the fun! Our bulletin
boards have been a wonderful source of
publicity for the group – let’s get some ideas
for making them the best bulletin boards
around!

UPCOMING SPEAKERS

September
Robert J. Bodish, Deputy Director of the Office of Homeland Security will
give a presentation on that agency’s responsibilities.

October
The Transportation Security Administration’s Canine Breeding Development
Center will give a presentation on their Puppy Program. This program
selectively breeds, raises, and prepares puppies to be future explosives-
detection dogs within the National Explosives Detection Canine Team
Program. Dogs who graduate from training are assigned to airports and
mass transit systems nationwide.

November
Travis County Medical Examiners Office.

December
No speaker will be scheduled as the Alumni traditionally helps at Blue
Santa.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 3

Officers and CPAAA members greet citizens CPAAA’s recruiting table

at Open House on May 14th

John Hughes, Linda Zamarippa, Laura – It was standing room only while citizens of all
McManus, Morris Noren and Ronnie ages lined up for tours of the new building.
Mueller – CPAAA Welcoming Committee
for Open House
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 4

Talk to the hand! Christy Havard shows off her vehicle and
explains her new role as Public Service
Officer.

Kids having a good time listening to officers Members are discussing the new building
explain their patrol cars with Sgt. Horton and Sgt. Eckerd.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 5

ACO Crista Burzynski, Trish McFerran and

Martina Hermann greet our guests with The vehicle fleet was shined and ready for
smiles. inspection.

The main break room was the setting for SFST The drinkers discuss strategy for the upcoming
training for new officers on May 22nd. tests.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 6

You think I can’t walk a straight line?? Lined up to begin the testing

StarFlight Paramedic Rick Rutledge

was the speaker at our June meeting.
Rick gave an interesting presentation
on StarFlight’s helicopter fleet and the
training required to be a member of the
StarFlight team. In addition to
transporting critically injured patients,
the team also conducts various rescues
including water and mountain.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 7

The class is anxious to get on with the Me first!

shooting.

A shooter takes aim. A happy shooter!

 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 8

Shooting and calisthenics all in the same

morning. “bend and pick up, bend and pick up.”

The Chaplain adds a new “weapon” to his

arsenal.

Fastest stapler in the West The class is anxiously checking their scores.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 9

The Annual Volunteer Awards Banquet was held on June 24th at Sirloin Stockade.
RRPD’s volunteers were treated to dinner and presented with awards based on
their number of hours of service during the past year. Volunteers donated a total
of 6544 hours of their time to the department! The total hours of each volunteer
organization were follows:

Administration 861 Chaplains 334

CPAAA 3036 Explorers 209
SALT 282 TAP 341
Victim Assist 473 Blue Santa: 1008

Volunteer Hours for our Alumni members who turned in timesheets were:

Judy Anderson 24 Paul Cecil 154

Mike Flicinski 73 Pam Flicinski 67
Diane Gargano 397 Frank Gargano 274
Mike Goggin 353 Gary Gillespie 224
Edie Heuss 163 John Hughes 146
George Joos 89 Walter Klingemann 100
Benita Kohlmeyer 52 Jeff Kohlmeyer 43
Larry McManus 19 Laura McManus 105
Dana Mueller 282 Ronnie Mueller 689
Morris Noren 27 Mark Northrup 293
Steve O’Connor 39 Sheila Offutt 20
Dalton Pugh 18 Ray Thibodaux 15
Linda Zamarippa 60

Please remember to turn in your timesheet each month. Blank timesheets are
available at our monthly meetings as well as on our webpage at
www.rrcpaaa.org.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 10

The CPAAA
group is
recognized for
3036 hours of
volunteer
service.

Blue Santa helpers are

recognized.

Sgt. Horton gets a chuckle over a case of Chillin’ at the volunteer awards banquet.
mistaken identity.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 11

Our July General Membership meeting was an exciting event with a planned
visit from the Air Operations Unit of the Austin Police Department. As we were
waiting for arrival of Air One, APD’s Chief of Police Art Acevedo, made an
unexpected visit to our facility and was treated to a brief tour. Chief Acevedo
began APD’s presentation with a few words in support of the Air Operations
Unit.
Senior Police Officer and Air One Flight Officer Tom Lopatowski and Air One
Pilot Ben Dranguet gave a brief history of the unit and an overview of the
capabilities of the various air craft in the unit. They showed video clips taken
from Air One of both daytime and nighttime pursuits.
Following the presentations, we were invited to inspect Air One on an up close
and personal basis -- including the rare opportunity to sit in the cockpit.
Since our July meeting was held on Tuesday July 1st, instead of our regular 1st
Thursday, we were happy to have the CPA class, and the Explorer post in
attendance as our “Special Guests.”

Air One on approach to our Air One makes a dramatic entrance to our
Heliport. July meeting
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 12

Left – Ofc. Lloyd Bird greets the flight crew as APD Chief Acevedo looks on.
Right - Chief Acevedo explains how Air One supports Round Rock and the
surrounding areas.

SPO Tom Lopatowski patiently answered all The crew provided a hands-on tour of their
our questions. “unit”.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 13

Our members experienced first hand the confines of the cockpit.

Air One Pilot Ben Dranguet sharing his

experiences. It was dark when Air One finished their
presentation and headed home.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 14

Edie Heuss was our one and only representative at this year’s Texas Citizen Police
Academy Alumni Association Annual Convention. Edie reports the convention was well
worth the long drive to Wichita Falls. Sessions included presentations on Gangs and the
Internet, Methamphetamine Labs, Fraud and Scams, Motorcycle Awareness, Hearing
Impaired Awareness and Child Abuse. The Wichita Falls CPAAA were wonderful hosts
and arranged a trip into Oklahoma so convention-goers could try their luck at a casino.
The convention concluded with a Bellamy Brothers to benefit the Texas Citizen Police
Academy Alumni Association.
Next year’s convention will be at Moody Gardens in Galveston, August 24 – 26. For those
of you who like to plan in advance, the convention registration form is available at:
http://tcpaaconvention.org/2009/. And for those who really like to plan ahead,
Bryan/College Station will be convention hosts in 2010.

Left - CPA in Mesquite brought their marked vehicle to this year’s convention. Cool!
Right - APD was happy to show-off their new marked Hummer.

The crowd really

enjoyed a concert by
the Bellamy
Brothers.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 15

Several Alumni members and their families

enjoyed Mexican Food Night in the
Training Room on Saturday July 19th.
Thank to Social Committee Chair Benita
Kohlmeyer’s great efforts we enjoyed some
good food, fellowship, a door prize and
board games.
Barbara and Paul Cecil enjoy the festivities.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 16

National Night Out 2008

America’s Night Out Against Crime

The 25th Annual National Night Out

was held on Tuesday, August 5th.
NNO is sponsored by the National
Association of Town Watch and is
designed to:

Heighten crime and drug

prevention awareness;

Generate support for, and

participation in, local anticrime
programs;

This crew was anxious to hit the road.
Strengthen neighborhood spirit
and police-community
partnerships; and

Send a message to criminals

letting them know that
neighborhoods are organized
and fighting back.

Alumni members joined RRPD

officers and attended neighborhood
block parties throughout the city.

Rain could not keep our gang away!

A Sergeant and his toys!

 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 17

AUGUST MEETING
Our speaker for our August General Membership Meeting was Agent William
Snodgrass of the Drug Enforcement Agency. The Drug Enforcement
Enforcement Agency
(DEA) is a federal law enforcement agency dedicated to enforcing controlled
substances laws and regulations, bringing to justice the organizations that
grow, manufacture and distribute controlled substances in the US or
destined for the US, and recommending non- non-enforcement programs to
reduce the availability of illicit controlled substances.

Agent Snodgrass explained how the DEA works with local law enforcement
agencies, including Round Rock, to identify and investigate suspicious drug
activity.
activity.

He captivated our group with a presentation about the successful dismantling

of a major “Ice” Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization in November
200
2006. The case began when an informant who had been arrested in Round
Rock for meth possession, identified
identified his drug source. The DEA and law
enforcement officers from Round Rock PD, Austin PD, Bastrop County
Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety worked for the
next 2 years following leads and gathering information on the suspected drug
drug
ring. This case resulted in lengthy federal prison sentences for 11
individuals, including the ring’s leader, and removed a major drug dealer and
his crew from the local areas.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 18

August 18, 2008

I was born in El Paso, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor’s
degree in Business Administration in 1987. I started my work career with NCNB Bank (now known as
Bank of America) in El Paso as a credit analyst. I worked for the bank in Ft. Worth and Dallas as a
work-out loan officer and an auditor. In 1993, I moved to Austin to work for the State of Texas in the
economic development field. Currently, I work for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development
and Tourism as the Manager of Domestic Expansion and Recruitment.

I am a HUGE sports fan. I grew up in El Paso playing baseball and basketball and attending UTEP
football and basketball games. I have season tickets to both Texas Longhorn Football and Round
Rock Express Baseball games. Of course, I will always root for the UTEP Miners especially when
they are competing during my favorite sports season - college basketball. Considering my lack of
athletic ability, I picked up swimming and golf during my college days. I do try to play golf as often as
I can. If anyone is interested in playing a round of golf, I am always game.

My wife, Laura, and I have lived in Round Rock since 1995 and we both graduated from class 12 of
the RRCPAAA in 2003. My main interests with the CPAAA involve working the Texadelphia stand at
the Express games and helping with the annual audit. This is probably why you don’t see me around
much, especially if you have never heard of me.

I learned a lot in my citizen’s police academy education. I was even able to put my education to work
during an economic development conference in El Paso earlier this year.

After getting up pretty early in the morning to play in a golf tournament, I returned to my hotel to find
that my wedding ring and watch were missing. I had suspected that someone may have come into
my room and swiped them. I prepared myself and called Laura with the bad news.

I informed hotel management about the situation and talked with the Housekeeping Director. She
indicated that it would be quick and easy to determine whether someone accessed my room or not.
Well it wasn’t! Because there was no congruency in the timing of my return from playing golf and the
accessing of my room, I had to report the ring and watch stolen to the police (you know… for
insurance purposes). EPPD officers came to the hotel to interview me and the hotel staff. I was
ready to accept the ring lost for good until I was informed that the police wanted to dust my room for
fingerprints.

After the police left, I had to call Laura to let her know what had just happened and how I had provided
information that was concise and detailed to assist their investigation. As we were talking, I headed to
the armoire in my room and looked up and saw my shoes. I thought to myself, “Could they be in my
shoe?” I raised my arm, put my fingers in my shoe and ………… gulp ………… there they were. I
had had the wherewithal to hide my ring and watch from everyone, including myself!!!! The only thing
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 19

Laura could tell me was “I wouldn’t want to be you right now!” Needless to say, the next hour was not
much fun as I apologized to everyone involved in the case of the missing ring and watch.

My staff and (then) Secretary of State Phil Wilson were so moved by my story that they presented to
me my very own El Paso CSI T-Shirt and deluxe finger print kit. I guess I’ll be prepared to conduct my
own investigation the next time any valuables are missing. Oh well, I guess I’ll see you in the funny
papers before you know it.

Warrant Call Project

The Warrant Call Project continues to be a very successful project.
Phone calls are made to persons with outstanding misdemeanor
warrants in an effort to get them to pay their fines before they are
arrested. As a result of the phone calls by Sheila Offutt, the following
amount of fines was collected:

January $11,984 February $17,441 April $8,343

May $7,119
Total collected in 1st & 2nd Quarters of 2008: $44,887!!
 Introducing one of Round Rock’s Finest
Sgt. Andy McKinney
Written by Laura McManus, RRCPAAA
8-20-08

Sgt. McKinney was born in Oklahoma City and then his family moved to Houston
when he was two. He is an only child. He graduated from Houston’s Alief
Hastings High School in 1993 along with 700 other seniors. He was active in track and cross country
and received the Golden Spike Award for his leadership skills. For fun, he jumped a six foot fence on
a $20 bet. He graduated from Sam Houston State in Huntsville with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal
Justice and a minor in Psychology.

When Sgt. McKinney was ten, he rode out with a family member who was a cop in Yardley Township,
PA and since high school, knew he wanted to go into law enforcement. He worked as a paramedic
during college and also considered becoming a doctor. After graduation he wanted to work for the
federal government (he has since seen the error of his ways) and got a job with the Dept. of the
Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs as a police officer. “A lot of people think I’m Asian, but I’m actually
half Native-American.” He was stationed at White Mesa, Utah near Four Corners and was solely
responsible for a 90 square mile area with no back up. After eight hours of training he was given a
gun and a patrol car (see photo). He was 24 years old. The
fastest he has ever driven was on the reservation going
140mph. After six months, he was ready to move back to
Texas. He put himself through the academy, and was hired by
the Airport Police. He worked there two years and decided to
make a change after 9/11.

Sgt. McKinney joined RRPD in August 2002 and has been a sergeant for one year now. He is
currently in the Training and Recruiting department and also serves as the Tactical Medic for the
SWAT team. “I’m actually afraid of heights, but I face my fear and do it anyway.”

When asked about his most interesting call, he shared a story about an older woman who requested
assistance to exercise the spirit from her house that was trying to kill her. He and Officer Hau
responded. Officer McKinney went outside, took some tree bark, lit it on fire and made Tom chant
and dance in a circle with him inside the woman’s living room. He then proclaimed that the spirit was
gone which K-9 Harley also confirmed. One more happy customer of the RRPD.

Sgt. McKinney is married and has two children. His favorite food is spaghetti (he actually
refers to all pasta as spaghetti) and can eat it every single day. He just started drinking
coffee five years ago and now is addicted to Starbucks. “They put something in their
coffee to keep you coming back!” He tried to convince me that he actually doesn’t drink
a lot of caffeine, and his energy is ‘au natural’. He admitted that he is known for his
energy level and has been given the nickname “Tigger”. Also not surprising - his favorite
cartoon character is the Road Runner!

To de-stress, Sgt. McKinney enjoys working out. He reads a lot and actually watches very little TV
and did NOT even have a favorite cop show for me! He likes all kinds of music and his favorite team
is the Longhorns. He has visited several islands and his eventual goal is to visit every Caribbean
Island before he dies.

Sgt. McKinney stated he loves being a cop. “I love the action and the changing environment. It’s a
natural fit for me. I also enjoy being a manager and developing my staff.” He would like to eventually
retire as a captain from RRPD and possibly pursue medical school to become a physician’s assistant.
We appreciate you Andy AND your energy, and thanks for the interview!
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 21

The CPAAA wishes to remember our member Chuck Burt, lost in a tragic
traffic accident on July 22, 2008. Chuck’s self-written profile from the October
1999 edition of The Informant is reproduced on the next page.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 22

Member Spotligh t on Chu ck Burt

I’m a native of North Carolina and grew up in the rural coastal area in the late 50’s during the era of
the Beach Boys, surfing, and drag racing. In 1964 my military service brought me to Texas where I
worked as an electronic technician servicing digital and analog electronic encryption communications
equipment in top secret communications centers.

Following the military, I worked for RCA and Sperry Univac as a customer engineer installing and
servicing large mainframe computer systems then transitioned towards becoming a System Analyst. I
am currently employed as a Database Administrator. I design and maintain databases for a state
agency with one of the largest state-operated mainframes. This system supports over 15,000 terminals
throughout the state. In addition I operate a small business that builds custom PC’s, web sites, and
provides computer consulting.

In the mid 70’s I acquired a Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor’s certificate. I have logged over
5000 flight hours. Several of my students have become pilots for some of the major airlines. I have
operated flight schools, charter services, and was appointed airport manager for a small
municipal/county airport. During this time I volunteered my pilot services in numerous public safety
aerial search missions for the county.

In the late 80’s I became a Texas Department of Health certified Emergency Medical Technician.
Currently I am the administrator of a volunteer EMS first responder organization operating in Travis
County. I have coordinated and provided the EMS facilities and staffing for several large outdoor
events with attendance of over 20,000 people such as Austin Aqua Festival. I am an active member of
the Men’s Garden Club of Austin. I will complete my Flower & Vegetable Show Judge apprenticeship
and become an accredited Men’s Garden Clubs of America show judge late this year. I have judged
shows in Dallas, Houston, and Austin.

I am an active member, officer, and past president of the Aim High Toastmasters club. Building
communications and leadership skills with Toastmaster has been very rewarding and useful since I first
started in 1989.

I first moved to Round Rock in 1979. My daughter came to live with me in 1985. She is now married
and lives in North Carolina with my 2 year old granddaughter. She manages inventory accounting,
shipping, and receiving departments for a Bosh-Siemans manufacturing facility. My son lives in Idaho
and is a mechanical technician servicing recreational vehicles ranging from motor homes to
snowmobiles. He is an avid sportsman and has been a driver at the local speedway, perhaps following
in my footsteps. In 1967 I set a track record that stood for 2 years at the San Antonio Drag Raceway
with my 1966 Pontiac GTO.

I have always had an interest in public safety. At the age of 16, I volunteered for a local Fire
Department and Rescue Squad. The Citizen’s Police Academy seemed like an appropriate place to
learn more about public safety plus learn more about the local law enforcement community. The
RRCPAAA provides a structured medium to continue that venue by supporting the officers on the
street. So far I have not been disappointed. Regardless of one’s successes and accomplishments I
believe that our achievements and successes in life are assisted by others volunteering their time,
wisdom, and money. The RRCPAAA is just one more way I can participate in this belief and give
something back to the community.
 THE INFORMANT
August 2008 Page 23

Current Members
WELCOME to our New Members: Benita Kohlmeyer
Bennett Spelce
Ronald Cox Debra Cox Chuck Burt
Josh Lake Andrea Johnson Crista Burzynski
Dalton Pugh
Sherrill Voll Jenny Terpenning Dana Goggin
Dana Mueller
Debbie Bruce-Juhlke
Diane Ducre
Alumni Uniform Shirts: RRCPAAA Con tacts Diane Gargano
Edie Heuss
Our new uniform shirt (red polo Laura McManus, President
Frank Gargano
laura_mcmanus@rrcpaaa.org
shirt with the logo that is on the Gary Brown
310-1411
front page of The Informant) Gary Gillespie
can be ordered by contacting Michael Flicinski, 1st Vice President George Joos
Ronnie Mueller. Cost is $30 per Michael_flicinski@rrcpaaa.org Huyau Chen
shirt, payable upon delivery of 244-5496 Jeff Kohlmeyer
the shirt. Orders are filled by Edie Heuss, 2nd Vice President
Jeremy Sheard
EmbroidMe-Plano and are edie_heuss@rrcpaaa.org John Guiling
usually delivered within 7 to 10 924-4259 John Hughes
days of Sgt. Horton emailing Judy Anderson
the order. EmbroidMe-Plano Dana Mueller, Treasurer Karen Adair-Murphy
Dana_Mueller@rrcpaaa.org Kim Gross
rebates 5% of the purchase 255-5428
price of each shirt back to the Larry McManus
RRCPAAA. Diane Gargano, Secretary Laura McManus
Diane_gargano@rrcpaaa.org Linda Zamarripa
246-8120 Mark Northrup
Please email Ronnie at
Michael Flicinski
ronnie_mueller@rrcpaaa.org Frank Gargano, Sgt.-at-Arms Michael Johnson
and place your shirt order frank_gargano@rrcpaaa.org Mike Goggin
today! 246-8120
Morris Noren
Stan Simpson, Liaison Nancy Pugh
ssimpson@round-rock.tx.us Pam Flicinski
218-5520 Paul Cecil
Ray Thibodaux
Sgt. Robert Horton, COP Liaison Rick Scott
rhorton@round-rock.tx.us
Ronnie Mueller
218-6658
Sheila Offutt
Ofc. Lloyd Bird, CPA Coordinator Steve O’Connor
lbird@round-rock.tx.us Tammy Arrington
218-5500 Tracy Auldridge
Walter Klingemann
Wyatt Bellis