R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, Deputy Keith George Ruiz of the Travis County
1-2 Sheriff's Office was killed in the line of duty on February 15,
1-3 2001, at the age of 36, and we join his family and friends in
1-4 mourning their tragic loss; and
1-5 WHEREAS, A valued member of the Travis County SWAT team,
1-6 Deputy Ruiz was helping his fellow officers on the SWAT and
1-7 Narcotics Task Force to execute a narcotics search warrant at the
1-8 time of his death; and
1-9 WHEREAS, Born May 2, 1964, Deputy Ruiz earned a bachelor of
1-10 science degree in criminal justice from Southwest Texas State
1-11 University, with a major in law enforcement and a minor in
1-12 sociology; continuing his education, this esteemed public servant
1-13 attained his advanced peace officer certification on February 25,
1-14 2000; and
1-15 WHEREAS, In 1988, Deputy Ruiz joined the Travis County
1-16 Sheriff's Office and was assigned to the Corrections Bureau at the
1-17 Travis County Jail; two years later he transferred to Law
1-18 Enforcement, where he served with distinction for five years before
1-19 his transfer to the Tactical Unit in 1995; and
1-20 WHEREAS, In his years with the Sheriff's Office, Deputy Ruiz
1-21 had a distinguished peacekeeping career, earning eight letters of
1-22 commendation and 11 letters of appreciation, as well as nomination
1-23 for a 2000 Commendation Bar; and
1-24 WHEREAS, In his leisure time, this avid sportsman made
2-1 spending time with his family a priority in his life, serving as
2-2 his sons' T-ball and baseball coach for a decade and regularly
2-3 planning family outings with his loved ones; and
2-4 WHEREAS, Those who serve in the field of law enforcement are
2-5 among the most dedicated of all public servants, for they realize
2-6 that although their efforts may place them in exceptional physical
2-7 peril, that level of personal risk is necessary to ensure the
2-8 public's welfare; and
2-9 WHEREAS, Deputy Ruiz exemplifies the spirit of self-sacrifice
2-10 that is at the core of every peace officer's pledge to provide for
2-11 the public safety of everyone in the community; although his life
2-12 has been cut tragically short, his memory will live on in the
2-13 hearts and minds of the many people whose lives he touched; now,
2-14 therefore, be it
2-15 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-16 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Deputy Keith George
2-17 Ruiz and extend sincere sympathy to the members of the family he
2-18 held so dear: to his beloved wife, Bernadette Ortiz Ruiz and sons,
2-19 Matthew Anthony, Alexander Jesse, and Joshua Keith Ruiz; to his
2-20 parents, George and Mary Ruiz; to his brother and sister-in-law,
2-21 Kenneth and Cathy Ruiz; to his sister and brother-in-law, Shirley
2-22 and Marshall Littleton; and to his other relatives and many
2-23 friends; and, be it further
3-1 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-2 prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas
3-3 House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of
3-4 Travis County Sheriff's Deputy Keith George Ruiz.
Maxey
Kitchen
Dukes
Keel
Naishtat
Laney Goodman Merritt
Alexander Goolsby Miller
Allen Gray Moreno of Harris
Averitt Green Moreno of El Paso
Bailey Grusendorf Morrison
Berman Gutierrez Mowery
Bonnen Haggerty Naishtat
Bosse Hamric Najera
Brimer Hardcastle Nixon
Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Noriega
Brown of Brazos Hawley Oliveira
Burnam Heflin Olivo
Callegari Hilbert Pickett
Capelo Hilderbran Pitts
Carter Hill Puente
Chavez Hinojosa Ramsay
Chisum Hochberg Rangel
Christian Hodge Raymond
Clark Homer Reyna of Bexar
Coleman Hope Reyna of Dallas
Cook Hopson Ritter
Corte Howard Sadler
Counts Hunter Salinas
Crabb Hupp Seaman
Craddick Isett Shields
Crownover Janek Smith
Danburg Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Davis of Harris Jones of Bexar Solis
Davis of Dallas Jones of Dallas Solomons
Delisi Junell Swinford
Denny Keel Talton
Deshotel Keffer Telford
Driver King of Parker Thompson
Dukes King of Uvalde Tillery
Dunnam Kitchen Truitt
Dutton Kolkhorst Turner of Coleman
Edwards Krusee Turner of Harris
Ehrhardt Kuempel Uher
Eiland Lewis of Tarrant Uresti
Elkins Lewis of Orange Villarreal
Ellis Longoria Walker
Farabee Luna West
Farrar McCall Williams
Flores McClendon Wilson
Gallego McReynolds Wise
Garcia Madden Wohlgemuth
George Marchant Wolens
Geren Martinez Fischer Woolley
Giddings Maxey Yarbrough
Glaze Menendez Zbranek
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 312 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on February 21, 2001.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House