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Dickinson Police Department - Texas The fourth Officer of the Quarter is Officer Johnny Smith. Officer J. Smith has been with the Dickinson Police Department since 2006. Officer J. Smith attended Police Academy at Galveston Community College. He started working for Tiki Island and Galveston County Pct 7 Constables Office but decided after a few years that he wanted to work in Dickinson because of its popularity for having a great team, including the Chief and Officers, training, and more call volume. After several years of service with the good times and bad, Officer J. Smith still loves serving this great community. When he is not serving the City of Dickinson, he also loves spending time with his grandchildren and family. He and his wife love spoiling their grandchildren every chance they get. Officer J. Smith also likes hunting, fishing, woodworking, and traveling with his wife. Q & A with Officer Johnny Smith Can you tell us what made you choose Law Enforcement as a career? What roles/positions have you served in law enforcement? Why did you want to be a Warrant Officer? I’ve wanted to be a Police Officer long before becoming an Officer because my father was an Officer. I tried my hand, with success at other trades like plumbing, Heavy Equipment Mechanic, and Oil Field Well Head Supervisor. I began my carrier at the age of 29 and found out quickly that the job requires heavy responsibility dealing with people’s lives. I have always stood by this statement, “Treat other’s as if they were your family”, and “Everyone puts their pants on, one leg at a time, the same as you do”. Since working here in Dickinson, I became an Officer-in-Charge, a Field Training Officer, a Taser Instructor, a member of the Honor Guard, Marine Division, and now I work as the Warrant Officer. After several years working in the Patrol Division, I took advantage of the opportunity when the position became available to try something different. Since working as the Warrant Officer, anyone that has had warrants and the opportunity to speak with me will tell you that I will do everything in my power to help someone get a payment plan (preferred) verses being arrested. Also, while being the Warrant Officer, I also serve the court and City Hall as its first line of security. Your co-workers would consider you a “Country boy” who is not afraid of animals. In fact, urban legend has it that you have wrangled snakes and alligators here in Dickinson. Care to share one of those stories? Yes, I remember it like it was yesterday! I received a call for service to a residence where the caller stated they had caught an alligator. What happened was, due to heavy rain and flooding, the gator traveled out of the bayou and into a ditch, or it could have merely been a pet too big to care for (speculation unknown). When I arrived, I went to the callers back yard and observed that they had plywood around to prevent it from escaping. As I looked down at it, it looked up at me with it's beady eyes and I thought for a moment, “How am I going to wrangle this beast without getting bit?”. I tried to catch it with a rope but no luck, I then decided to just go hands on. With one hand getting the gators attention, I snatched the gator by its neck with my other hand. After releasing the gator, I thanked the good Lord that I still had all my fingers. You were working here in Dickinson during Hurricane Harvey, what was that like? What improvements have you seen made in the city and at the Police Department since Harvey? I remember trying to drive myself and my son into work with my wife’s H2 Hummer. As we were south bound on IH-45 feeder road, we were knocked off the road by a water current in front of McRee Ford into the ditch. For three days we worked on getting people out of the water and searching houses. I stayed wet the whole time and worked on little to no sleep, but having a warrior mindset, I put my big boy pants on and did what I do for this great community. This was a nightmare that no one was prepared for, and I hope we never experience that again, but if we do, I think we “The Citizens and Police” are more prepared now. Since Harvey the Fire Department has purchased high water rescue vehicles and the Police Department has purchased a boat for the Marine Division, which I’m proud to serve as a member of. “I thank God, Family and Dickinson for the opportunity and support of being a Police Officer”. Officer J. Smith, thank you for all you do, you are definitely an asset to the community, the courts and the city.
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