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Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement
2024: Ranked #1 Law Podcast
Host: Tyler Owen and Clint McNear discussing topics, issues, and stories within the law enforcement community. TMPA is the voice of Texas Law Enforcement, focused on protecting those who serve. Since 1950, we have been defending the rights and interests of Texas Peace Officers by providing the best legal assistance in the country, effective lobbying at state and local levels, affordable training, and exemplary member support. As the largest law enforcement association in Texas, TMPA is proud to represent 33,000 local, county and state law enforcement officers.
Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law Enforcement
#103- "The Call to Serve" with JP Rodriguez
We head to the frontlines of Texas law enforcement with TMPA Field Representative JP Rodriguez, who serves the Rio Grande Valley. With years of experience in the field and a passion for defending those who wear the badge, JP shares what it takes to support officers in one of the most demanding regions of the state. From border-related policing challenges to legal battles protecting officers’ rights, JP breaks down the realities officers face daily and how TMPA stands behind them. Tune in for an eye-opening conversation about leadership, advocacy, and the grit it takes to serve Texas law enforcement.
🎧 Listen now and hear how JP Rodriguez is making a difference in the Rio Grande Valley! #BlueGrit #TMPA #BackTheBlue
email us at- bluegrit@tmpa.org
Team PA was really growing exponentially in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. We were the minority association right and my experience as a member is nothing but excellent. I mean there was times where I thought, like my career is done, you know, use of force, situation right, that can get distorted and seen a certain way. Team PA was fantastic.
Speaker 2:Welcome back. Viewers, watchers, listeners. I'm your host, tyler Owen, clint McNair, my co-host. He's busy with some Texas FOP stuff going on and he is across the state right now fulfilling his duties as the FOP edelpresidente. But today the one and only field representative from South Texas, jp Rodriguez, is in the house. He was in town for another event and I demanded that you come on and introduce yourself and talk about what the hell is going on in the Rio Grande Valley. So, jp Rodriguez, welcome to Blue Grip man.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me and you know you send that team to kidnap me from the hotel and bring me on the podcast. So I appreciate that, but it's, it's, uh, it really is.
Speaker 1:It's, it's an honor to to finally be a part of the podcast and I, uh, I really appreciate the work that you and clint are doing and just uh, there's a variety of topics, right that you guys you guys discuss and sometimes a couple of crazy stories here and there, but I really think it helps to define who we are as an organization and then who the staff is right, because you know better than anyone that we all have different personalities, right.
Speaker 2:Man. That is one thing. For those that know my story know that I was a cop in East Texas, lived in East texas for quite some time and then transitioned down to central texas. I do not live in austin, so, uh, please don't hold that against me. But main, seeing, uh, now that I'm in this role within tmpa, seeing the different cultures of of texas and seeing the different facets of all the, all the hats that field reps truly do wear, man, it's, uh, it's, it's an honor to get to know you as a person, uh, as a field rep and uh, man. You got a lot of stuff going on there in the valley, but we first kind of kind of kick off the podcast of who the hell is jp? Where'd you grow up? How'd you get in law enforcement? You've got a pretty unique story that I think will resonate with a lot of our listeners.
Speaker 1:So let's, let's start there so, um, yeah, so my story starts back as a, as a teenager, right, who got married probably a little, a little young, right, me and my wife, uh, became parents at a really young age, and I was, actually, we were both. We were both music majors in college, right. Um, she was a music major, I was. I wanted to major in, uh, well, actually I was majoring in music marketing, right. So my dream was like, hey, I want to own my own studio, right, I want to.
Speaker 1:What type of instrument uh, I played brass instruments, right, okay. So, um, I was up at utsa for a little while before I went back to ut pan-american, which is now utrgv, and out of necessity to support my family at a very young age, right, because I was a dad at 19 years old. So that, oh my God, right, what am I going to do? Right, I've got to. You have to grow up really quick when you're a young dad, right? Yep, and I got a job as a security guard, and I don't remember what year it was. It might've been in 96 or 97. It was 97.
Speaker 1:And then we had a contract for the Walmarts, right, so we were like the exterior security guards, right, keeping an eye on the parking lot, right, uh, uh, you know, uh, we, our job was to, uh, to report any suspicious activity, right, and I was probably about 135 pounds, right, soaking wet, and, and so I did. I was still a music major at the time. But one day I'll never forget, this day, I had to cover for one of the guards that didn't show. He was called in sick or something at the west lico walmart, and I'm standing out there. It was cold weather and I'm just just, you know, thinking about life and a west lico police department patrol officer named Ted Walensky drove by and he made an effort to stop and just kind of BS. And just you know, we just started talking and he said hey, man, he's like would you be interested in applying for an entry-level police officer? I was like no, I was like no, like you know, I just wasn't interested in the for entry-level police officers. Like no, I was like no, like you know, I just wasn't interested at the in the time right.
Speaker 1:And so then the conversation you know we started. I started talking about, you know, being a young dad and supporting my family and said why don't you do this, man we've got, we've got openings and dispatches? Like you don't have to be a cop, but why don't you apply for dispatches? Like probably, like Probably, more money? Well, it was more money than I was making as a guard. And what really caught my eye was that he I remember the conversation and he brought up the job has benefits, right, yep, you have insurance, you have a vacation leave, sick leave, and that's what caught my attention. And he said it's a full-time job, but we they had just cut our hours, so we were working full-time hours. And I remember I mean this was a time where we were struggling as a young parents, right? I mean we were struggling and I said you know what? I don't have anything to lose, man, let me go.
Speaker 1:I think the following day I went in and applied for dispatch and, within a matter of you know, you got to take a test. Within a matter of like two or three days, I got a job offer as a dispatcher. So I thought, okay, right, I'll show up to work, do my best. I kept going to school, and one of the unique things that I really appreciated was we had the option of riding around with the officers on our lunch break. So I made it a point to. I really wanted to know who the men and women were that were wearing that uniform that we were dispatching to all types of crazy calls man. That was my first experience with with just the the brutality, well, the burden that a cop has to carry right on their shoulders the men and women out there serving our community, right, and I would hear it on the radio, but I wanted to see it. So I would ride around with the officers on my lunch hour and it just totally changed my perspective of police officers and I had a lot of great mentors and the following year, 1998, some of those mentors they said hey, man, you want to make a better life for your family, you can pursue a career in law enforcement and it's a rewarding career.
Speaker 1:So I took the entry level test right, didn't have my peace officer license and at the time what they would do if you scored top three and you weren't certified, they would sponsor you. You know, and some agencies still do, but it's usually contractual, all right. So I took the. I took the written test, scored a top three. I took the physical agility test, scored top three. So I think I came out third out of like 40, some applicants.
Speaker 1:So they sponsored me to go to the academy and I was just and I remember very clearly the conversations were from the command staff where you're, you're going to transition from a dispatcher to a police cadet and your job right now is to pass the academy. If you're, if you don't pass the academy, you're out of a job. So there was a sense of urgency there, right, but it was super exciting. I just really thought. I really grew to admire the men and women that I got to work with as a dispatcher and I thought here's my opportunity, right, not just to make a better life for my family, but to serve my community. Right To really make a difference.
Speaker 1:And I'll tell you one of the things I saw, and I still remember riding around as a dispatcher, seeing things like police officers showing up to a call for service. That's non-law enforcement, that's non-enforcement, right. A little old lady with plumbing issues and the officer would make time to help that little old lady fix her leak under the sink or something. Time to, uh, to help that little old lady fix her a leak under the sink or something. And just, it really changed my perspective of what I saw, maybe either through Hollywood, right, or through the lens of Hollywood, or through the lens of mainstream media, to wow, man, this, this is a real, this is a really honorable profession, right? Yep, and some of those mentors that I had back then in 1997, 98 are are still really close friends today, in 2025. So I, you know, and, and, and you know, the rest is history, right, I, I, um, I went to the police Academy, uh, graduated and transitioned from police cadet to entry-level police officer and I was at my first agency about I don't remember how long it was maybe it was about 10 years.
Speaker 1:And then I left my first agency and went to work on a drug task force. I went to work with the Haida task force under the umbrella of the Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office and let me tell you, man, I mean, that was just. I was oblivious, and I mean oblivious to the amount of drugs coming in through the US-Mexico border right. And it was great, it was an awesome job, you know, but it also was very demanding and it was also difficult to maintain.
Speaker 2:It's hard to be a family man yeah, doing that kind of job. You know this hard to be a family man yeah, doing that kind of job.
Speaker 1:You know this, you were a TFO right, Yep, and it's very similar right.
Speaker 2:Well, because you get those phone calls at two o'clock in the morning and you've got to answer those because potentially the CI or informant could be in a situation where it's life or death, especially there on the border. You know, and you had a couple of those, you had a couple of people that reached out and there was a life or death situation that you know you helped and you look back on it now and you're thankful you did, but it does take away from your family time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's exactly right, you're absolutely right. The CIA would call hey, I need some help, what's going on? Well, and I went to meet with a drug trafficking organization and like, they want me to go now, they want me to go pick up a load. I do what are you doing on your own first, and then you have to call your, your coworkers, right On the task force and you have to set up a surveillance op and you you're thinking, is this a legitimate call or is it? Are they setting this up or are they setting the CIA up for something else? Right, and it, it was a great job.
Speaker 1:I just remembering, though, thinking I lost track of the days off, because we really were working seven days a week sometimes, and you got to meet some of the guys from the yeah, so a great group of guys, man. Some of them are still there, some of them have retired and moved on. So I did that for about two years and then I actually went back to West Lago for about a year and a half and then I got recruited to Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office, which was my last agency, and you know, I'm still real grateful. I'm grateful for the opportunity, right, but when I first initially got recruited to the Sheriff's Office, it it was like it was not a good time at the sheriff's office.
Speaker 2:Well, because it was on the heels of a former. Some corruption, that's right With the past political figure. Sheriff's offices maybe you know me being a past employee of one and left on good terms but when you work for sheriff's office it can be demanding but it can also be very much political. And so you enter an environment that you were used to municipality where your boss wasn't necessarily elected he was appointed by the city council. There's a lot of weight that carries on with sheriff's deputies and sheriff's office employees. Talk about your interaction and that transition period from a city municipal police department to a sheriff's office and what a reality check it was transition from back to the sheriff's office is.
Speaker 1:I remember one of the days that ice agents were removing boxes of evidence from from the building and that's not a good feeling when a federal agency is removing uh boxes from the uh abc you work at. You have from the agency you work at, right, it's just. It's just kind of like a kind of like a gut punch and you know, and I remember we'd we'd go have lunch at some of the local restaurants and we would get I mean just we'd get a lot of hatred towards us because of what was going on and I was, you know. But as far as transitioning from a local municipality to and in this case was the eighth largest county in the state eighth largest county in the state Out of the 254 counties you're talking about, the eighth largest county close to 300 deputies on the law enforcement side, 400 in the jail, 100 administrative staff, just a huge agency, just a different perspective. And the way I described it with a lot of my friends was it was like being a city cop on steroids, yeah, Like you have huge area of responsibility, right, Whatever sector you're assigned to, and then you just have a higher frequency of some of the calls like aggregated robberies, right, Some of the homicides, right, Some of the all the other things that are happening in the rural areas. So it took some adjusting and I was fortunate enough that you know going back to opportunity, right, and that's been such a blessing for my family when the new sheriff was appointed by the city commission, I'm sorry, by the county commission, or they appointed Sheriff Eddie Guerra.
Speaker 1:I remember one day they said, you know, report to sheriff's conference room. And I thought, man, what is? Why does this guy want to talk to me, Right Out of out of 300 deputies? Why? Why does he want to talk to him? And I remember that day and I was super nervous and I didn't know why he wanted to talk to me. And she sat me down and one of the first things I remember him saying was like you have prior PIO experience, right? I said yes, sir, that's correct. I was a PIO for a short stint at my first agency. No training, right. It's kind of like, and I'll tell you how that happened I was crossing the chief of police in the hallway, I was wearing my class A's and class A's and he said, hey, he's like you know what, From this day forward, you're the PIO of this agency and, by the way, the news media is in the lobby waiting for you, so we'll give them an interview.
Speaker 1:And I kid you not, and I know him. I thought he was joking and I laughed. I said you're joking, right? He said I'm dead serious, as of this day forward, with the PIO, and the media is waiting for you in the lobby. He didn't tell me what the but, mind you, I'm going into this blind. So I actually peeked around the corner and I saw the cameraman and the reporter waiting with their microphone and I just about you know.
Speaker 2:That was a scary moment.
Speaker 1:I was going to use another colorful language choice of words, but you got thrown into the fire, true story man. I went into the restroom, one of the single restrooms, and stared at myself in the mirror and said what in the world am I going to? Why? What am I? Why would? Why? Would he do that to me? Right, yeah?
Speaker 1:And after panicking for about five minutes, and after panicking for about five minutes and this is where I think a lot of what we do as cops are really in life is just situational awareness, right, and we have to find a way to get things done, no matter how complicated, no matter how difficult. And I feel like being a cop blessed me to think on my feet, right? So I looked at myself in the mirror and I said how can I deal with this situation? And I said well, I know that I can't see anything without my glasses. So I took my glasses off and you know, of course, I see real blurry without my glasses.
Speaker 1:And I walked out and met the reporter and I met the cameraman with one of those giant, you know cameras, old school, yeah, one of the old school ones. And I said what do you want the interview? It was something about. There was a bunch of cars that had been burglarized and you know people had called and complained. So we went outside, did the interview. Not being able to see the reporter or the cameraman actually helped me and I share that story. When I talk to groups, whether they're students or other officers, and I tell them you have to improvise, you have to think on your feet and you have to deal with the situation because it's not going to go away.
Speaker 2:Well, that day the sheriff asked you about that, you obviously thought on your feet. Well, that was the chief of police, right? But I'm saying, like moving forward, many years later, many years later, the sheriff brings you down and says, hey, you had PIO experience at your other agency, that's right. And what was your response to that?
Speaker 1:Well, I knew where this was going and so you know this. Being a PIO can be really stressful, and the way I describe it is I tell the story that when he asked me that no-transcript and my mind was saying no my mind was saying no way right. Like you've been through this before, it's not fun. You know how toxic it can be sometimes being a PIO. But my heart said this man's genuinely and sincerely asking for help. So I've got to help this man right and I'll never forget. He said I need your help to regain the trust of the people and I need your help to regain the trust of the people and I need your help to turn this agency around, because that's what I want to do and I want to make this agency the premier agency of the county in South Texas. And I felt that his words were genuine and sincere and, even though my mind was telling me like no right, my heart said yeah, I got to gotta help this guy. And he told me he was. He was very blunt and very clear.
Speaker 2:He said r kelly started a song.
Speaker 1:That way my mind's telling me no yeah, yeah, well, I was gonna sing it but yeah, yeah. So he tells me very clearly there's no additional pay, yeah, there's no promotion, you're doing this on a voluntary basis. And I thought, wow, that just makes it kind of makes it sound sweeter. Well, that makes maybe not sweeter, but yeah, you know. And I said you know what? Yeah, I, I'm gonna, I'll help out. I said you tell me what you need and I will be the pio.
Speaker 1:Well, again, oblivious to the scale of work on the local level and PIO for the eighth largest county for the state, yeah, it was just like on steroids, man. I mean, we had to restructure the way we were disseminating information and I also was a Crime Stoppers Coordinator. We actually had to write policy for Crime Stoppers Coordinators, so we had to change a lot of stuff right, and we had to write policy for Crime Stoppers coordinators. So we had to change a lot of stuff right, and we had to change a lot of stuff. But one of the things I really admired was that he would have these conversations and they were along the lines of we're not going to hide anything from the media, like we're going to be the first right. There's a malfeasance issue If there's something that happened, and it's, we're going to share the good, but we're also going to share the negative stuff and we're going to be the first to do it and we're going to control the messaging and the narrative. We're not going to let somebody distort that, right. So, uh, transparency was key, right, and and I really, uh, appreciated that and I still think to this day that that and I'm not I don't believe in coincidence, right, I think God, I really do. I think God gave me that opportunity because it opened up other doors for me politically.
Speaker 1:Fast forward to about 2016,. You know, I was involved in some of the local races and helping good people get elected, and I had somebody approach me and say, well, when are you going to run for office? I was like, what are you talking about? That's crazy talk. It's crazy talk. Like I'm not qualified, right, I'm not knowledgeable enough to hold elected office. I just don't feel like I'm ready for that role. And then I had another person approach me, and then another person approached me and this encouraged me, encouraging me in a positive way to, hey, you should think about running for office one day. And that's what I did in 2017.
Speaker 1:I ran for city council there in the city where I live, didn't plan on winning, that's for sure. Didn't plan on winning. I thought I'll get my name out there. Second go around. I'll try to take it right and we'll see. Once the dust settles, we'll see where we're at. We'll see where the once the dust settles right, we'll see where we're at. When I would knock on doors and I was block walking right and I was knocking on doors, people seemed initially. They seemed startled because like you're that deputy that comes out and reports a crime on the news and I was like yeah, I'm not here. Like are y'all going to raid my house? I'm like that's not what I'm here for. Like I'm wearing shorts and tennis shoes. Like here's my push card, I'm running for office, right? So I think that, uh, being the PIO for sheriff's office really helped me with my and what year was this when that?
Speaker 2:happened, that was 2017. And the one that, whenever you became the PIO for Hilldog, okay.
Speaker 1:Oh, no, no, no, no. That was probably a few years before it might have been 15, I think. Okay, I think it was 2005.
Speaker 2:And at some point, you, were you ever the POA president for West Laco?
Speaker 1:I was Okay, I was board member.
Speaker 2:You know I held some of the different positions on the executive board and that probably spring-forwarded you to be a part of Hidalgo County because they weren't close together. The POA, west Lacoque POA they see each other, at least at different events.
Speaker 1:That's true, I think. I think back then, um, tmp was really growing exponentially in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, um, there was, there was some agencies where even, uh, we were the minority association, right, and but and I'll tell you that my experience as a member with TMPA throughout my career was nothing but excellence, yeah, I mean, there was times where I thought like my career's done right. I thought like you know, use of force, situation right. I thought you know, use of force, situation right, that can get distorted and seen a certain way. Team PA was fantastic. The attorney at the time was Frank Zabarte out of Brownsville, so I don't know if you remember those old cell phones that had, like they were like the old Jitterbugs or flip phones it wasn't even a flip phone Like the old Nokia, yeah, like that old Nokia where you just hold a button down.
Speaker 2:That's where you can send out a two-word sentence and it would take you 15 minutes to hit the three five times. Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:They were terrible, man, they were terrible and they had like two ringtones. But you could program a number into a phone number, into a number Right. So you would hold it down and it would dial that number. Remember that, Yep. So I had friends about this phone number program my cell phone. I had one of the first Sprint cell phones and we were just paying a ridiculous amount of money, Right, See? And every time I called he would answer. And every time I called he would answer. And whenever I needed the field rep, they would answer.
Speaker 1:And because, as a POA board member, sometimes you tell a lot of members that when I'm talking to them I say, hey look, I'm not just a field rep. I need to clarify something. I need you to understand something. I'm not just an employee. I was a longtime member. I've been in your shoes. I've been in situations where you're involved in a critical incident or you're there while a critical incident happens. You're genuinely worried about your career and your job. I had a lady crash into me one time. I was responding code lights and siren to a vehicle pursuit which ended up on a foot pursuit. Tnpa represented me when the lady crashed into me because she sued me. So I have called on TMPA more times than I can remember, but they were always there for me.
Speaker 2:So, with that being said, you go from West Laco to Hedlago County Soon. Thereafter you became involved with their local association. At some point during all this, there was an opportunity for you to be a part-time filter up, like I was in East Texas. So in 2013, you were given the opportunity to come on to TMPA part-time and you know, I think, that you seeing the magnitude, the size of TMPA, when you start seeing the critical instances that come across your emails, it's eye-opening. Talk about your transition and talk about how you got exposed to that as a part-time field rep and what that included.
Speaker 1:So you know, we had some on-the-job training, right.
Speaker 1:What we weren't, I think, what I wasn't ready for, or what I didn't realize, was just the nature of the calls that would come in. And so you know, if one of our members was involved in a critical incident, well, we're like that first line support, right, and many times we'd be running interference while the attorney's making his way to the scene. So a lot of times times at least in my region or my, my area I was first on scene while the attorney was, was on his way, and so just seeing the flip side of it, right, and and just the responsibility. But it was always a good feeling afterwards when you could help a member out and and I feel like I told some of the guys, if, if I can emulate some of the service that I got as a, as a member, then it's a good day. Yeah, then I feel good about myself.
Speaker 1:Um, what, what I didn't realize was just being a member and then transitioning to to a field rep was just a sheer number of phone calls that come in for everything from administrative issues, right, complaints filed against our members, lawsuits, um, sometimes criminal allegations, yeah. And then the critical incidents was just like, oh my god, like I didn't know that the field reps were dealing with all this stuff behind the scenes and that was just that. That was eye-opening. That was. It wasn't shocking, but I understood real quick how much responsibility we have to carry for our membership. And I think back then you know the statewide, where there was less members, and we've grown just tremendously. So I really feel honored to be a part of something that legacy right, I call it the legacy.
Speaker 2:And I think it's cool too because, like me and some of the other field reps, if you look at your career, you've gone from dispatch to patrol. Well, let's go back further. You were a security officer, so there's the humbleness of being a security guard and seeing the uniformed officers go past and handle the law enforcement side. Then you became a dispatcher, then you became a West Laco police officer, moved up the chain there, becoming a PIO, then you went over to the sheriff's office, or between then you're on the task force with the Hidalgo County DA's office and so you've got all these different hats that you wore. But in my opinion that gives you a better understanding of truly what our members go through on a daily basis and it gives you a different perspective on so many facets of the different aspects of law enforcement. And so I think that makes you more experienced and more able to have that understanding and relatability to really our membership base there in the Rio Grande Valley.
Speaker 1:A hundred percent. It helps to understand, when a member calls in, what they're dealing with. I also did five years in CID, so I understand, you know, like some of the calls we get might be a detective dealing with a poor job performance allegation right, because they didn't submit cases on time to the DA's office. Might be a detective dealing with a poor job performance uh, allegation right because they didn't submit cases on time to the da's office. So I understand all that, because I I I did that for several years doesn't make me better, it just makes me have a clear understanding of what they're dealing with. Yeah, and, and I really think that the team of field reps that we have, you know, yourself included yeah, uh, I think we're such a diverse background that that is our strength. Yeah, uh, I never did internal affairs, I was never a canine, but we have guys that have done stuff like that.
Speaker 2:It's like the A team, we all, we all unify. You know it's, um, we just need the van. What the hell was that cartoon? When we were kids? It was, uh, like, they were all like I, like I, they had, they had their own identity, they had water spirit. Uh, man, I jokingly said that the other day, the late, in canary, the southeast texas, philip ralph, we were joking around and we were joking about, about who who's who's whose icon. Would you know? Would I be? Would I be the water or spirit? And it's a cartoon that was out when you and I were kids. Was it like Planet something? Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 2:But back to your point, you know, you're right. I think that Clem McNair says it best. This organization, whether it be field reps, whether it be membership, whether it be executive level, there's a certain recipe here. That's a recipe for success and, uh, it's often imitated, never duplicated, and I, and I think that's the reason why we truly feel like a big family. Uh, you know, I mean my own kids look at you guys as uncles, and that that's the, that's the cool part about being a part of this in this organization, and, um, it's, it's cool. Gotten to know you just as a person, but also as a colleague, yeah. And then you add the I mean the fact that you were a city council and then that has another perspective to truly kind of what the city council person is thinking and a unique dynamic.
Speaker 1:So that really helps me for things like contract negotiations. Yeah, and I always I share stories with our associations, especially when we're about to start the process of contract negotiations or meeting, conferred negotiations or just collaborative negotiations.
Speaker 2:And just to be clear, because you are a city council person at West Laco, jp has stepped aside during those contract negotiations with the swesco police department. You're, no, you're not even involved. You're, you're involved, but you're on the city council side of it, uh, and we don't share that information with you, just for the protection of our members sure, yeah.
Speaker 1:So, um, I, I make it a point to uh, not participate because of a you know, up up potential conflict, right, you, but with the other associations. I don't want them to just participate in the process, I want them to learn, because they may be the next generation of field reps for Team EPA. I may retire one day, five years from now, and I want to know that somebody out there is ready to accept the role and responsibility of being the next field rep when we're 60 000 members right around the state. So I really try to teach them some of the tricks of the trade, right, like with one of the things with the negotiations. I always tell them look, guys, there's two things we need to focus on is does the elected body have the ability to pay? Do they actually have the money to give you guys what you feel like you're worth and what you deserve to be paid? Then number two do they have a desire to pay what you're worth? And you have to start with those two elements during negotiations, right, and many times that'll kind of guide you on what strategies you need to form after that. One of the other things I I try to really pound this into their into their strategies, right, yeah, and you know so.
Speaker 1:So we we've got a lot of great guys and gals out there, right, but sometimes, uh, you know, like a parent we've, we've got to kind of guide them a little bit and I tell them look guys, at the end of the day you're dealing with personalities, and whatever the elected body number is right, whether it's five or six or you know four, you're dealing with that many different personalities, no-transcript. So I've learned a lot, and it wasn't necessarily because I'm the sharpest tool in the shed, it's just because really I've learned a lot through my mistakes, yeah, and I think that's the best teacher I've had, right. And I've also learned from other, more experienced field reps, right, and everything I learn I'm going to pass it on to the next generation of field reps. But it's just there's so many things we do right that our members don't see, and not that that's bad, but it's just we're out there sometimes and I say I tell our guys, hey, I say look, if I don't answer the phone, if it's an emergency, 100% call the 800 number, right, because somebody's always on call.
Speaker 1:That's one of the awesome things about an organization is you're getting a cop or a retired cop that's going to deal with your situation and if it's not an emergency, I said call me, text me. I said if I don't respond immediately I will respond to you. But just be patient with me because I say some weeks we're going 100 miles an hour. Yeah, I said it and and we really are. I mean we've. We've got boots on the ground all around the state. You know we're helping members that are going through different things, helping their families, something yeah, we got ledge going on right now, the session at the Capitol.
Speaker 2:We got the Round Rock Rodeo going on with the Round Rock Police Department. There's different aspects that we do across the state, which is another truly honor of different things that we're involved with, but you know, that's one of the things we got to deal with.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I, you know, one of the things I appreciate is that the members in my region know that I'm going to get back to them like as soon as possible, yeah, and and I always ask, or I'll say I'm in a meeting, right, is everything okay? Do I need to step out? Because I'll step up and they'll see oh, it's not an emergency, just call me whenever you get. If it's an emergency, yeah, I'm walking out of that meeting. I don't, I don't care where I'm at.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, the other day I left the meeting early to go see my daughter perform and it was when it was the night those three San Juan officers got stabbed. I mean two seconds after I got that text. I didn't ask where I, just I told my wife I've got to leave. I'm sorry, it's work related. I got to check on my guys and I ran out of that auditorium and luckily I was in the team PA truck. So I went straight from that auditorium straight to and I staged nearby the scene where they were still actively searching for the suspect, because I thought this has potential to turn into an OIS right. This has potential to turn into an OIS right and, you know, get the attorney on standby. Once the all clear is given and the suspect's in custody, I make my way to the hospital. Check on our guys, you know. Talk to the mayor, city manager, talk to some of the medical staff there. You know, just checking on our guys making sure they're okay, right?
Speaker 2:That's what I do want to touch on real quick. You know, one of the great things that I've always loved about you is that there's so much compassion in what you do, and with compassion also comes a little bit of heartache. Has a lot of members, but it's so concentrated in one area that you do truly do have a great relationship with the majority of your locals in your area. With that said, there's been many times that we have lost officers in the region that you not only knew but you had close relationships with only knew, but you had close relationships with. Talk about the meaning of not knowing who it is breaking it through that door, showing up to the scene and at that point having to be the professional and tmpa side and and walking through that challenge of being a field rep during situations just as that.
Speaker 1:It's hard, man. It is Some of the things we deal with as field reps. They break your heart, especially when it's somebody you know, somebody you consider a friend and not just a member, right, I tell the story and I hope it doesn't, you know. You know I'm very transparent, right, I wear my my heart on my sleeve and and it's really hard sometimes to see people you know and I admire all the men and women that are out there because they're still supporting the mission of public safety, right, I, I feel like I I made it to the end of my career, right, but there's a lot of men and women out there still, you know, fighting the good fight, continuing that mission of public safety. They're making the sacrifices now so that me and my family and my community can be safe, and I really admire and appreciate that.
Speaker 1:So when what somebody you know gets hurt is it's it's so hard we have to have to put on the field rep hat and we have to go take a support role and you have to just kind of shut off the emotions and it's hard sometimes. I, I that's something I struggle with and because of what I've seen, you know I uh, throughout my career and as a field rep, I'll tell it. I tell the story of you know when, when I got the notification that, uh, lieutenant Milton Resendez had had been had been killed in the line of duty, I I almost just kind of froze at my house for about a minute or two because this is somebody I know. Yeah, this is somebody I know. I mean, he was on our local board. Those that don't know he was the president, he was. I think at one point he was vice president and I don't know that he ever made it up to but had a very close working relationship with TMPA employees, including you and John Sariga and Mike Gomez.
Speaker 2:Y'all had a very much personal relationship with Lieutenant Resendez.
Speaker 1:So, as I get dressed and make my way out there, and you know, I, you know, start calling some of the boots on the ground, right, some of our other board members, and you know, and they're struggling, you know they're struggling just to talk because of what's happening. You know, and they're struggling, you know they're struggling just to talk because of what's happening. And I remember I showed up at the hospital in the TMPA truck and I drove around the parking lot. I drove around the hospital twice. I could not muster the courage to get off and see, uh, my friend or someone I knew, right, um, in that state, in that state I just couldn't um. So then I made my way to the scene, uh, the scene was under control. I made my check on the guys there, made my way then to the PD where, just, you know, it was just a really sad, uh um state of emotions right there.
Speaker 1:And and I've seen other, you know, uh, another situation where one of our members got critically injured in the city of mission, uh, the POA president and I were the first to arrive at the emergency room and we stood outside that trauma room where they worked on him for about 45 minutes.
Speaker 1:And that was just one of the most tragic things to see. Yeah, and you know seeing more and more. You know brothers and sisters show up right, as you know, from this family, and, seeing the hurt that they are, they're going to have to carry now right For the rest of their lives, like so. But I think the one thing that I can draw out of those really difficult situations is that it makes me proud to be a field rep because I as hard as it is for me to process that I can take a support role to their needs right when, whether it's buying food for the family members right for a wake, or whether it's, uh, just honoring them in in the procession right with the tmpa truck, or just, you know, one of the hardest things is delivering that line of duty. Death benefit, yeah, that's, that's really hard.
Speaker 2:For me it's hard, but it's also one of the biggest honors too, uh, that you're able to give that support to the family immediately and and uh, yeah, it's just a challenging challenge we we kind of have to fight through, which is one of the reasons why I think the executive staff does push a little bit more into our mental wellness and our mental well-being, and that's some training that they've offered to field reps for that very reason.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's. You know as hard as it is. We have a lot of support.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I've really grown to. I just really appreciate it. I hope that one day I can emulate that right, if I ever become a supervisor here for TMPA. But the one thing that resonates in my mind is that we have to continue this. What we're doing? Right, the mission of protecting those who serve. Right, that's one of our slogans. Right, we have to continue that because we need to take care of the guys that are on the front lines, and I think that's what makes it such an awesome job. Right, my wife. She always tells me she's jealous of my job and she'll say can I go apply with you at TNP? I said, hell, no, no, no, no, you can't, we're not going to work together. But she says, you know, I'm jealous of your job because I see how you help the other officers, and it really is. It's not. It's not.
Speaker 1:I was nervous about transitioning from a full-time sergeant at the sheriff's office to when I was a part-timer. Remember then I transitioned to a full-time. I was nervous about that because all I knew for half of my life, or more than half of my life was being a cop. But just from what I saw as a part-timer, I said, hey, I have a chance to be a part of something, and something that has just as much meaning as protecting and serving your community. Right Now, I'm in the role of protecting those guys who are serving the men and women, right, and that's just.
Speaker 1:It's hard to articulate and describe with words until you actually see it and experience it. But, like you said, it's really hard to deliver that line of duty death benefit check. But we know that we're helping that family and that's a good feeling that I can be a part of something bigger than myself, right, that I can be a servant leader, and it's just, it's pretty cool man. I, you know, I remember the first days as a field rep just being nervous around the guys, right, you know, having met some of the characters, right, because we you know this, we can be some misfits sometimes, yeah for sure. And you know we can be pretty funny when you know we have a good sense of humor and we also, we know when to tone it down and be serious when we have to, right.
Speaker 2:That's right. Well, man, this is your first time being on the podcast, and so this is your first time being on the podcast, and so we typically like to finish each podcast episode out with three rapid-fire questions. You know what those are.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, I don't. One of them was a All right.
Speaker 2:Okay, here we go, here we go. What's your favorite cop car, what's your favorite line from a cop movie? Or what's your favorite drink of choice?
Speaker 1:Favorite cop car without a doubt? Crowe Vic, my man. Crowe Vic yes, absolutely, it's the workhorse. Got that sucker up to 140 one time, yeah.
Speaker 2:I was scared, but I still got it up to it. What's your favorite line from a cop movie or favorite cop movie Favorite?
Speaker 1:line. I don't know if I can say it, but it's from John McClane.
Speaker 1:Y I don't know if I can say it, but it's from John McClane. Yippee-ki-yay, yeah, yippee-ki-yay, brother. Yeah, that one, I watch those movies on a regular basis. I have all the movies, so I watch them on a regular basis. And then Favorite drink of choice. Favorite drink of choice, it's going to be between Wait, are we talking about adult beverages? Adult beverages, okay, it's going to be between an old-fashioned and just the old, just the Jack and Coke. Jack and Coke are good. Yeah, jack and Coke got me through a lot of, you know, some rough times. Yeah, which is not good either.
Speaker 2:No, it's not. It's not, but you know, sometimes they're warranted and sometimes they're needed.
Speaker 1:So I can't thank you enough for coming up, being on the podcast. You're not expecting anymore. I don't think I actually have. My gut instinct tells me there's going to be more grand babies. Oh yeah, the future. But you know I, I tell, I tell my wife I feel old a lot of days. Right, you know I I feel old just from injuries and stuff I've been through.
Speaker 2:But well, for the longest time, you've got three. So, for those that don't know, he's got three girls. Our other full-time field rep has got three boys, and so, always, the hidden agenda and joke was that the Guarneri and Rodriguez family were going to end up together and we were going to have some soulmates. That doesn't look like it's on the horizon, but who knows, with the amount of grandbabies that the Guarneri family is spitting out, you never know. You could have a Guarneri-Rodriguez matchup. I have a sign outside my house that says no Guarneri's allowed. Yeah, like the Ghostbusters, no Guarneri's allowed. That's funny.
Speaker 2:Well, man, I can't thank you enough for coming up. It's been an honor. It's been an honor getting to know you the last couple years since 2017, since I came on. Uh, you do some phenomenal work in southeast texas or, excuse me, south, south texas and continue to do down there. So, uh, man, our thoughts and prayers with you all the time. I appreciate it, man. So well. This about wraps this up. Again, we're with uh field rep jp larigas, also city council member with the city of west laco, and uh, years, you guys, take care, stay safe. God bless you and, as and as always, may God bless Texas. We're out, thank you, thank you, thanks for watching.
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