Rob Cook[/caption]Rob Cook
Hometown: Richmond
Occupation: constable
281-628-2483
[email protected]
Top priorities: increase personnel to develop programs
How does your experience qualify you to be the Fort Bend County Constable of Precinct 3?
I am the only candidate who has management experience graduating from the FBI National Academy, the FBI Command College, and FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development stressing upper level management. I have [an] undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University, am one course away from my master’s degree in criminal justice from University of Houston-Downtown, and have 28 years’ experience doing this job. I [am an] instructor at Sam Houston State University’s Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) teaching constables how to do their job and have been all over Texas teaching civil process to deputies and constables for about the last 10 years.
If elected, what would your top two priorities be? What action(s) would you take to implement them?
We have several programs we have started, including Tobacco Abatement, Safe Streets, Ident-A-Kid, Contract Deputy and Public Speaker. My top two priorities would be to increase additional personnel to help further those programs which are being worked as time allows by existing deputies. Keep in mind the existing deputies already have enough on their plate and can only work on the programs as time allows. Their plate involves time-sensitive responsibilities to the courts and cannot necessarily be shelved in order to pay attention to program development.
As Precinct 3 grows in size, what plans would you put in place to keep up with growth?
Counties are never prepared for growth. All my agency can do is to provide assistance with the growth by projecting expansion within my agency. An example of this is the current building we occupy. When the architect came to me and asked for me to give him a projection of size of a building based on number of future employees for 10-15 years in the future, we provided that information. As it turned out, as soon as we moved into our new building in 2010, we were full with no increase in staff.
Wayne Thompson[/caption]Wayne Thompson
Hometown: Sugar Land
Occupation: interim police chief, city of Shoreacres
713-202-2252
[email protected]
Top priorities: office reform and building relationships with other law enforcement agencies
How does your experience qualify you to be the Fort Bend County Constable of Precinct 3?
I have a highly diverse and versatile public service and public safety career history. It includes serving as a police supervisor at two police agencies, serving as an Emergency Management Services director, and serving as a non-commissioned officer in the Texas Military Forces. I am a graduate of several high-level law enforcement command schools. I am a graduate of the U.S. Army Basic Noncommissioned Officer’s Course and am currently enrolled in Sam Houston State University’s Law Enforcement Management Institute Leadership Command College. I have 23 years of public safety service with 14 years of law enforcement service.
If elected, what would your top two priorities be? What action(s) would you take to implement them?
The top two priorities are to repair a broken, nonworking relationship with other law enforcement agencies in Fort Bend County. Currently, the office of Precinct 3 Constable has no working relationship with the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office or surrounding agencies. This is dangerous and unproductive. The second priority is to restore broken morale within the office. It has a 50 percent employee turnover and the entire command staff has quit over the past 13 months. This is unacceptable and both show a severe lack of leadership on the part of the current constable. I will fix both issues.
As Precinct 3 grows in size, what plans would you put in place to keep up with growth?
I will keep up with the growth by working with the community and other Fort Bend law enforcement agencies to maintain a high level of readiness with a state-of-the-art agency that is well-equipped and highly trained. I will work with the commissioners to ensure that the office remains adequately staffed and supervised to meet the challenges of one of the fastest-growing counties and precincts in the area. I will grow the agency to meet those needs by seeking new contracts.
