by Newton Co. Constable Howie Wonders
I am proud to announce that the Newton County Pct 4 Constable’s Office has initiated its School Safety Program at the start of the 2022-2023 school year. The lack of continuous law enforcement presence for our schools in Deweyville was one of the first things I wanted to change once I was sworn into office.
Without a huge budget, we had to get creative so, I implemented a Reserve Deputy program to facilitate the need. Reserve Deputies are certified Texas Peace Officers that attend the same required Peace Officer Academy (Police Academy) and must maintain the same continuing education mandates as a full-time officer/deputy. Reserve Deputies have the same exact powers of arrest and authority as any other Peace Officer on or off duty. The word ‘reserve’ simply notes that the deputies are unpaid officers within the department. Each of my Reserve Deputies are officers that have transitioned to the private sector or a different career field altogether, ultimately to make a better living.
With a combined 243 years of experience and 64,201 TCOLE training hours logged, the expertise and skill these deputies bring to the Constable’s Office and our community is far above average. Two of my deputies have a master’s degree, three have a bachelor’s degree, most are prior military, 3 of us are SWAT certified, one deputy is the IT technician for one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the nation, and one deputy is a published author of a book detailing his amazing military career.
I have a nationally recognized K-9 unit, several deputies with administrative law enforcement experience, and one of my deputies was awarded with a Gubernatorial Commendation from Gov. Greg Abbott for his heroic actions at the Santa Fe School shooting in 2018. As a law enforcement officer, I swore to enforce the laws of this state and protect my citizens and as an elected official, I swore to be a good steward of our taxpayers’ dollars. With the NCCO4’s School Safety Program, our office is taking care of both of those promises. The average cost for a completely outfitted patrol vehicle is approximately $53,000, the benefits package and officer salary is a minimum $96,000 per year. Training costs, uniforms, and other costs associated would be another $10,000 or more.
By implementing a Reserve Deputy Unit, my office will provide continuous law enforcement presence for Deweyville ISD every day school is in session at almost zero cost to taxpayers. In-fact, the only cost associated with this program is the fuel, maintenance, and insurance (and other misc. costs) for the patrol vehicle the deputies use, which Deweyville ISD has generously agreed to fund. I would like to thank Deweyville Superintendent LaJuan Addison and her staff as well as the Deweyville ISD School Board, Republican Party Precinct Chair and State Delegates David Kelley and Gary Langton for their support and assistance in implementing this program. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the men and women of International Paper in Orange who, after hearing about the program, generously donated $10,000 towards the purchase of our patrol vehicle. Above all though, I want to thank, you, the citizens of Precinct 4 for trusting in our office’s ability to serve and protect our community and its future, our children. God bless!
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