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                                                                  H.R. No. 254



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The Richardson Police Department is celebrating its 
50th anniversary on May 14, 2005, and this event provides a fitting 
opportunity to honor the officers and volunteers who claim 
allegiance to this fine department; and
	WHEREAS, In 1955, three police officers, Chief of Police Jack 
Stults and Officers A. D. Tucker and J. W. Golden, with one vehicle 
and a radio signal from the Dallas sheriff's office, were hired to 
provide police services for the 5,000 citizens in Richardson; and
	WHEREAS, Two years later, Officer Golden assumed the title of 
chief of police, and the city added three officers and one 
additional vehicle; this expansion enabled the provision of 
around-the-clock service, and over the next 20 years the department 
grew steadily so that in 1975 it included 80 personnel and 25 
vehicles, accommodating a population that had increased to more 
than 50,000; and
	WHEREAS, Ken Yarbrough was named chief of police in 1975, and 
he served in that position for 27 years; under his leadership, the 
department continued to grow, and today it includes 145 police 
officers, 94 civilian employees, and 40 appointed citizen 
volunteers, serving a population of over 94,000 residents; and 
	WHEREAS, The current chief of police, Larry Zacharias, 
continues to strengthen the department's commitment to integrity 
and outstanding community service with such initiatives as the 
Citizen Volunteer Program, which gives residents the opportunity to 
work side by side with police officers, and with the continuation of 
one of the oldest formal school resource officer programs in Texas; 
and
	WHEREAS, The Richardson Police Department has distinguished 
itself as an agency of notable professionalism; it was named the 
Outstanding Crime Prevention Unit in Texas for its population 
category in 2004, and its commitment to the safety of area citizens 
certainly merits special praise; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 
Richardson Police Department and extend sincere best wishes to the 
department's officers and citizen volunteers; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the Richardson Police Department as an expression of 
high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

                                                                            Hill

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 254 was adopted by the House on March 
2, 2005, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House