- Houston Independent School District
- 2012
- August 2012
Police Department Honors Deceased Chief, Officer at Annual Awards Luncheon
August 22, 2012
The HISD Police Department held its 15th Annual Awards Luncheon at Peck ES on Aug. 10, and among those recognized for their extraordinary service to the district were the department's very first police chief, Leslie "Les" Burton Jr., now deceased, and the late Officer Manuel J. Moctezuma Jr.
Burton, who died in March, was named the winner of the Outstanding Service Award. He began his career with HISD as a teacher and coach in the 1950s, and served as the district's chief of police for more than 24 years.
"He was a good man. Everybody liked him," said Sgt. Adolph Saenz, who worked under Chief Burton for 19 years. "He influenced a lot of people, both on and off the force. Even years after he retired, he still had former students coming by so say hello and share their successes."
Moctezuma, who passed away in November, was named the winner of the "Eagle" Award (or Chief's Choice) with more than 20 years of service. His widow, Rocio Moctezuma, accepted the award on his behalf.
"Officer Moctezuma worked relentlessly with dropout students and those who were at-risk," said Lieutenant Guadalupe Jimenez. "He played a major role in lowering Davis High School's dropout rate. And he was also the most sought-after Field Training Instructor for the night-shift patrol."
Other internal award recipients this year (who were chosen by committee) included:
• Central Business Employee of the Year: Garivonna Price
• Communications Employee of the Year: Latrisha Humphrey
• Crossing Guard of the Year: Cloyd Williams
• Operations Bureau Employee of the Year: Officer Paul Harmon
• Security Guard of the Year: Patricia Cantu
• Supervisor of the Year: Sergeant Aloysius Cook
• Unit Citation of the Year: Patrol Second Shift
Also noteworthy this year was Officer Otis Simmons, who received the Life-Saving Award for rescuing a child who had been left unattended in a car.
HISD is one of only a few school districts in the nation to have an accredited police force, and Chief Jimmy Dotson has big plans for the future.
"The year before last, we were able to reduce crime by almost 8 percent throughout the district," Dotson said. "This year, we were able to reduce it by 18 percent. So our challenge for next year is to reduce it by 30 percent or more."