Police officers confront danger every day and fellow officers form a bonding trust with each other, due to the nature of their careers. That’s why Tomball Police Captain Rick Grassi says he didn’t hesitate to help when he heard a department in a small Louisiana town’s story.

Photo: Tomball Police Captain Rick Grassi (far right) recently attended the Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute conference in Annapolis, Md. At the conference Grassi got a chance to put into action a suggestion Tomball Police Chief Robert Hauck made during a previous conference, helping a small and needy police agency in the process.

Grassi was one of 31 participants at a recent Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute conference in Annapolis, Md., when he met Kevin Billot, police chief of rural Montgomery, La.

Billot came to town as a preacher and was thrust into a role as a police officer six months later, after the town experienced several trust issues with previous police officers and chiefs. When he took over the department it was desperately in need of nearly everything a police department reuires from patrol vehicles, in-car video equipment, computers and even winter coats.

“We have a group of dedicated officers and some basic equipment, but beyond that we have little else,” Billot said. “The opening of I-49 drew traffic, commerce and people away from our community. As a result our tax base is virtually non-existent and we have very few resources.”

When Grassi heard the story he immediately offered help. The Tomball Police Department (TPD) recently switched its in-car video system from analog to all-digital. Grassi knew that the old, but perfectly good equipment, was just sitting around.

“I was listening to what he was saying about the tools and equipment he was lacking,” Grassi said. “I knew we had all these in-car cameras since we switched over and I called (TPD Chief Robert Hauck).”

Hauck knew just what to do. Hauck had attended an earlier version of the conference, where he had suggested a surplus equipment exchange to support agencies in need.

“I told Rick when he went that he was going to realize how blessed we are to have what we have here in Tomball − the support, the equipment, all of it,” Hauck said. “He called me while he was there and told me about the agency.”

Hauck and Grassi came up with a plan that would loan two in-car video systems to Billot’s department indefinitely, since technically the equipment was still on the TPD books.

“Law enforcement is all about building partnerships and helping one another and that’s exactly what we have done here,” Grassi said.

“The idea that Chief Hauck recommended this type of program and that it was demonstrated in the actions of his captain, speaks to the need to facilitate this type of change,” Dave Mather, executive director of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center’s Small, Rural, Tribal and Border Regional Center, which hosted the conference said.

Other conference attendees arranged for Bollot to receive patrol cars, uniforms, recorders, help in creating department policies and officer worn cameras.

An idea that Hauck thought of and his own captain began to help implement has now come to fruition. That help has been a blessing and a surprise, according to Billot.

“I am familiar with the camaraderie and brotherhood of police departments, but to actually see it in action and be the primary beneficiary of that, at this conference, is humbling and really overwhelming.”

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed