By Crabb                                               H.R. No. 634
       74R10341 PAN-D
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, Will Pettis is retiring this year after an
    1-2  outstanding 26-year tenure with the Humble Police Department,
    1-3  drawing to a close a career in law enforcement that has spanned
    1-4  four decades; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, Lieutenant Pettis began his distinguished career
    1-6  fresh from serving his country as a member of the U.S. Army
    1-7  stationed in Berlin, Germany; returning from his military service
    1-8  to his previous job with L. L. Ridgeway Blueprint, he became
    1-9  interested in exploring career opportunities in the field of law
   1-10  enforcement and, at the urging of his brother-in-law, joined the
   1-11  Houston Police Department's reserve program in 1955; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, He served the Fifth and Fourth wards as a patrol
   1-13  officer for two years but, unsure whether he wanted to pursue a
   1-14  career in criminal justice, left the police department for a time
   1-15  to consider other options; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, In 1958 Lieutenant Pettis returned to the field when
   1-17  he took a position as a reserve officer for Harris County Precinct
   1-18  4; in that capacity, he patrolled the north district, which
   1-19  stretches from Little York towards Humble, until 1962 when he
   1-20  joined the Harris County Sheriff's Department as a reserve officer;
   1-21  and
   1-22        WHEREAS, Having decided to make law enforcement his life's
   1-23  work, he made a full-time commitment to the sheriff's department in
   1-24  1966 and rose to the rank of sergeant while working in the jail and
    2-1  the department's Identification Division; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, Attracted by the potential he saw in the Humble
    2-3  Police Department and the department's proximity to home and
    2-4  family, Lieutenant Pettis left the sheriff's department and began
    2-5  his career with the police force in Humble in 1969; and
    2-6        WHEREAS, Throughout his accomplished 26-year tenure there,
    2-7  Lieutenant Pettis watched the sleepy little town evolve into a
    2-8  major residential and commercial area; the department followed
    2-9  suit, growing from a staff of five to a staff of 57 full-time
   2-10  employees and five reserve officers, and the age of pads and
   2-11  pencils gave way to the age of computers; and
   2-12        WHEREAS, This exemplary officer also experienced his own
   2-13  professional growth and was promoted for his expertise, integrity,
   2-14  and professionalism from patrolman to patrol sergeant, patrol
   2-15  lieutenant, and finally patrol captain over the course of his
   2-16  remarkable tenure; and
   2-17        WHEREAS, Along the way, Lieutenant Pettis earned the respect
   2-18  and admiration of both his professional colleagues and the citizens
   2-19  of his community, and it gives the members of this chamber great
   2-20  pleasure to join with them in honoring this dedicated officer for
   2-21  his illustrious career in the field of law enforcement; now,
   2-22  therefore, be it
   2-23        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   2-24  Legislature hereby congratulate Lieutenant Will Pettis on the
   2-25  occasion of his retirement from the Humble Police Department and
   2-26  extend to him sincere best wishes for a very happy and rewarding
   2-27  retirement; and, be it further
    3-1        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
    3-2  prepared for Lieutenant Pettis as an expression of highest regard
    3-3  by the Texas House of Representatives.