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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Michael Kester is retiring as chief of the Harlingen |
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Police Department on February 4, 2025, drawing to a close an |
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exemplary tenure with the agency that has spanned 35 years; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Kester began his law enforcement career with |
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the Harlingen Police Department in 1990, and he was promoted to |
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sergeant in 1993, to lieutenant in 2001, and to captain in 2003; |
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after serving as interim chief for six months in 2011, he was named |
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deputy chief in 2012, and three years later, he was appointed |
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assistant chief/chief of staff; and |
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WHEREAS, Since 2019, he has served as chief of police, |
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overseeing the entire department, which includes 144 sworn officers |
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and 53 civilian personnel; over the course of his distinguished |
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career, Chief Kester has spent more than 23 years in executive |
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leadership roles, and he has worked in nearly every division of the |
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department, including patrol, training, records, support services, |
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criminal investigations, and the city jail; and |
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WHEREAS, An alumnus of Unity College in Maine, Chief Kester |
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went on to graduate from the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement |
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Management Institute of Texas and the Leadership Command College at |
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Sam Houston State University, and in 2019 he completed the Texas |
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Certified Public Manager Program at The University of Texas Rio |
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Grande Valley; in all his endeavors, he has enjoyed the love and |
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support of his wife, Debora, and their 4 children and 11 |
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grandchildren; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Kester's dynamic leadership and commitment to |
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excellence have greatly benefited the citizens of Harlingen and |
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earned him the respect and admiration of his fellow officers, and he |
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may indeed reflect with pride on a career well spent as he embarks |
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on the next exciting chapter of his life; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Chief Michael Kester on his |
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retirement from the Harlingen Police Department and extend to him |
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sincere appreciation for his many years of dedicated service; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Chief Kester as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |