It’s been a rough couple of weeks for law enforcement, the community and me personally as the horrible slay on law enforcement officers hit particularly close to home. A member of the Corpus Christi Police Department, Officer Kyle Hicks, was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call on April 20, 2024.  Just after that, a U.S. Marshal and three others from their task force were killed in North Carolina. Others have been injured in the line of duty over the last month. 

I began my career as a Corpus Christi Police Officer at the young age of 22, shortly after college, graduating with a degree in Law Enforcement Administration (LEA) at Western Illinois University, a university well known for its criminal justice program. I went there, especially for this reason. I knew when I was a junior or senior in high school that I wanted to be in some type of corrections or criminal justice. I’m not really sure why – I didn’t have a legacy of police officers in the family or an interest in firearms. My dad did not hunt or have a weapon in the home. Maybe it was from watching all those shows as a kid like “Hill Street Blues”, “Kojak”, and “The Rookies”. I just knew I looked up to those characters and I wanted to help people.  It sounds so cliché, but I found my path through this inherited trait. I was intrigued with crime scene analysis, undercover work, and anything to do with community relations. I wanted to be a detective – to find answers, to solve crimes.  

What I didn’t know about the job, until experiencing it, was what is often described as “the thin blue line” or the “brotherhood” that is only understood by those within it. From day one of the academy, we were a Team, a Class, a Family. We encouraged each other to keep going and held each other accountable. When one fell behind, we all slowed or did push-ups until they caught up. (It was sometimes me in the back and I knew my classmates were waiting for me up ahead.) I didn’t want to let them down. I didn’t want to let myself down either. I grew stronger and ended up in the best shape of my life, both physically and mentally.  

The brotherhood/sisterhood is real. No one else but your fellow officers are going to come to your rescue, back you up, and understand what you’ve been through at the end of a long shift. I am grateful for the friendships I made, and the love that I found at CCPD. My career advanced in a different direction, becoming a Federal Probation & Pretrial Officer. I retired in December of 2020 after almost 35 years in a trying, stressful, but wonderful career. The blue blood in my veins may have faded a bit, but never dried up. Of this, I am sure. This is why I became involved with GangScope. If I can help in any small way, to help keep officers safe or help them solve crimes, I want to do it. 

May God Bless Officer Kyle Hicks and all the men and women in blue who have laid down their lives for the lives of others. To those left behind, remember, Kyle is waiting for you up ahead. 

By Sara Penne Villarreal – GangScope Law Enforcement Consultant

The GangScope Team

_____________________________

GangScope™ is an intelligence database that helps capture, analyze, search and share intelligence on criminals, gangs, and more. GangScope acts as a first-tier, internal database that manages data on known and suspected criminals and gang members. Intelligence is collected per incident and can include qualifiers, associates, acquaintances (points of contact), witnesses, images, and documents. GangScope’s collection of detailed information aids in investigations, analysis and ultimately solving crime. The software complies with standards outlined by federal (28 CFR) policies. While complying with standards, GangScope™ boasts usability through simple yet extensive data mining via search, reports, profiles, and watches.

The overall goal of GangScope™ is to provide law enforcement personnel/ crime analysts/ correctional officers/prosecutors with maximum data through a friendly user interface while remaining cost-effective.  

A non-gang version – IntelScope is also available if needed.

To learn more or to schedule a full demo of our system – request a demo here. We would welcome the opportunity to show you how Gangscope can help your department organize and store your data in a secure and compliant way.