The flashing red and blue lights of a patrol unit are something most people don't like to come across as they go about their daily lives. Ride along with a Wichita County sheriff's deputy to discover there's more than meets the eye to the person behind the bulletproof vest and the wheel of a patrol unit.
While he was growing up, his family had good friends who were state troopers and police officers who would let him sit in their cars and hang out, he said. The experience just stuck with him throughout his high school career and into his early twenties — leading him to attend the basic police officer academy. Myers has since been with the Sheriff's Office for nearly eight years.
The Wichita County Sheriff's Office has two different hour shifts. Myers starts his shift bright and early at 6 a. Before leaving the Law Enforcement Center parking lot, Myers went through his checklist. Each patrol car has a control panel that consists of a red button that can be pushed for emergencies — in case a deputy needs immediate help. There is a dispatch radio the deputy uses to communicate his location at all times. He patrolled through the properties of the residences to see if anything looked out of the ordinary, such as an open car door, a broken home window or open front door.
Those might be signs of an attempted break-in. Some days when the call volume isn't as high as other agencies, they have a chance to be proactive and to get out in the community. That could be stopping at a lemonade stand or talking with the residents of a neighborhood out in the county or getting out, making traffic stops, finding drugs and finding DWI's — stuff that poses a risk to the community. Myers has been involved in at least six or more vehicle pursuits and one foot pursuit.
The most difficult thing he has had to deal with in this profession is death. But Myers said this has not negatively impacted his career choice. He said he wants people to remember the men and women behind the vests and the service they provide. More: Wichita Falls restaurant inspections: How did they do Feb.
