The newly appointed Bandera City Marshal Earl Heidelberg is excited to continue his work for the city of Bandera, after serving fifteen years in law enforcement.
A 2009 graduate from the San Antonio Law Enforcement Academy, Heidelberg always knew he was going to be in the law enforcement world, even though no one in his family was in the field.
“It’s something I always wanted to do,” Heidelberg said. “Even when I was a kid. I’m the first one in my family to go into law enforcement.”
Originally from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Heidelberg’s family decided to move to Bandera, where he attended Bandera High School and later enrolled in the United States Army.
The Army brought him right back to Mississippi, but Heidelberg, after serving eight years and earning the rank of an E-4 specialist, moved right back to the Bandera area to be with his family.
Having dated Jeanie Faglie back in high school, the two were reunited and then married, sharing three boys together and two older children from a previous marriage.
Faglie, who works as a mental health nurse practitioner, supported Heidelberg in his pursuit of a law enforcement position for the city of Bandera.
After settling in Pipe Creek, Heidelberg joined the Bandera Police Department as a patrol deputy and eventually – after a defunding from the city – served as the sole patrol officer for the city.
Eventually, Heidelberg moved to the Marshal’s office and became the Chief Deputy Marshal.
After January’s removal of former Marshal Nancy De Foster, Heidelberg became the interim marshal until the city, in a 4-1 vote, appointed him as the permanent City Marshal.
City administrator Stan Farmer expressed his strong support for Heidelberg’s appointment.
“The City Council and the entire staff are thrilled by the appointment of Earl to Marshal,” Famer said. “We are all eager to work with him to make Bandera and the Marshal’s Department even better.”
Heidelberg’s plan for the Marshal’s office includes updating the technology for his deputies.
Flock Safety, a company that presented a proposal to the city for the installation of four license plate reader cameras, is still something Heidelberg is considering.
“We just had a zoom meeting this morning with Flock Safety,” Heidelberg said. “If the city approves it, I think it’d be a great help for my deputies.”
Overall, Heidelberg plans to build a good relationship with the city council and make improvements to the technology in the Marshal’s office.
“I want to keep this moving forward,” Heidelberg said. “We’re trying to stay up with current technologies. It’s a big part of our functioning.”
.png)
