Editor’s Note: The following is an election announcement from a local candidate. Candidates are allowed one announcement in the paper free of charge. All other materials that follow are charged an ad fee. To place your announcement, email [email protected].
I am honored to announce my candidacy for Sheriff of Bandera County. My promise is to provide equal proactive community law enforcement throughout the county.
I am a Master Peace Officer, whose training and certifications include Police Firearms Instructor, Police Instructor, Field Training Officer, Police Dual Purpose Canine Handler, SWAT, Narcotics Interdiction, Command Leadership and many more courses extensively broadening my law enforcement expertise. With over two and a half decades of Law Enforcement experience and over 23,000 TCOLE education training hours, I am ready and qualified to be your next Sheriff.
I have extensive law enforcement experience. While at Sam Houston State, earning a BS in Criminal Justice, I was a patrol officer with the Sam Houston University Police Department. I have worked as a Jailer and a Deputy with the Walker County Sheriff, and later was a Patrol Deputy and member of the Special Operations Group (SWAT) with the Montgomery County Sheriff. While on active military duty, I continued to serve as a Police Officer as deployments allowed on both the Liberty Hill and the Florence Police Departments where I served as a Patrol Officer, Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant and Counter Narcotics Dual Purpose Police Canine Handler.
While serving as an Army Aviation Lieutenant Colonel, I deployed on four combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan ultimately commanding a Joint Special Operations Unit. The U.S. Army recognized my leadership and fidelity by awarding the Bronze Star, Air Medal with “Valor” Device, Air Medal with “Combat” Device, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and Army Meritorious Service Medal.
My three main priorities for the Bandera Sheriff’s Department are:
1 — Protect the Community
The safety and protection of our citizens is my top priority. Proactive Law Enforcement is the key to a safe community. I will immediately increase visual law enforcement presence throughout the county. I will establish a Counter Drug Task Force trained and equipped to deal with this exponentially growing threat. I will synchronize all Law Enforcement agencies in Bandera and adjacent Counties to jointly crush the criminal element.
2 — Build the Community
We are a community family who work, live, and grow together. The Sheriff’s office will be totally transparent. I will use electronic media to provide monthly updates on what we have done, what we plan to do and how we intend to do it. I will hold quarterly town halls coming to your community to share ideas and issues. I will establish a Citizens Police Academy and Ride Along Program. I will energize a Reserve Deputy Force to augment the department making our streets safer. I will create a police explorer program to reach our youth desiring to serve their community or begin a career in law enforcement. Finally, I will establish a Crisis Intervention Unit to help our citizens struggling with mental illness and drug addiction to get the treatment they desperately need and not unnecessarily push them into the criminal justice system.
3 — Protect the Protectors
Law Enforcement Officers work in a demanding environment with microscopic scrutiny. I promise to be on the front lines, fighting alongside them as I have with so many other great Americans in my past. I will battle aggressively for better pay and benefits. These dedicated Deputies need to know that their finances are solid, their families are protected and their career is secure. I will maximize the use of federal and state funding to modernize the department, provide every Deputy with the best equipment and advanced training to ensure that they return home at the end of their shift. I will ensure that every member of my team will be physically, mentally and emotionally ready to fight crime.
Please join me on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. at Riding the River Cowboy Fellowship Hall to discuss your ideas to improve the Bandera Sheriff Department. I will also be available to listen to your concerns and ideas on Dec. 6 at the Lake Hills Community Center at 7 p.m. Lastly, I will be at The Core in Medina on Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. to meet and discuss your ideas for the department.
I humbly ask for your support, to serve as your next Bandera County Sheriff.
FB: Josh Teitge For Bandera County Sheriff
joshforsheriff.com
