DEC 2020 Blues Vol 36 No. 12 - 36TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

DECEMBER, 2020 • VOL. 36 NO. 12 MICHAEL BARRON publisher REX EVANS editor-n-chief MISTY ROBERTS editor RUSTY BARRON outdoor editor THE TEAM TINA JAECKLE blue mental health DARYL LOTT daryl’s deliberations On the Cover / Feature Story 36 REBECCA CESARI sales manager houston/south texas PHIL PIERCE sales manager north texas JANICE VANZURA sales manager austin/san antonio This month marks the 36th Anniversary of The BLUES Police Magazine. Who would have thought 36 years ago, that a small police newspaper would end up becoming the largest digital police magazine in America. We hope you enjoy this moment in police publishing history. 38 52 C O N T R I BUT O R S DAVID JONES contributing writer DOUGLAS GRIFFITH contributing writer CHERYL PEREZ contributing writer LIZ SAWYER contributing writer JOSH CAIN contributing writer DANIEL O’KELLY contributing writer BRISTOW MARCHANT contributing writer JOE SEVERINO contributing writer The BLUES Police Magazine is published monthly by Kress-Barr, LLC, PO Box 2733, League City Texas 77574. The opinions expressed in some articles, op-eds, and editorials are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of The BLUES or its parent company. The entire contents of The BLUES are copyrighted© and may not be reprinted without the express permission of the publisher. The BLUES logo is a Trademark of Kress-Barr, LLC. FEATURES 09 LEOs LOST TO COVID 18 REMEMBERING HPD OFFICER RAY SIMPER 40 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 56 SIX REASONS WHY YOUR AGENCY NEEDS A CERTIFIED FIREARMS SPECIALIST DEPARTMENTS 06 Publisher’s Thoughts 08 Editor’s Thoughts 14 Your Thoughts 22 News Around the State 30 News Around the Country 68 Remembering my Hero - Officer Steve Perez 70 Running 4 Heroes 74 Blue Mental Health with Dr. Tina Jaeckle 78 Honoring Fallen Heroes 82 Outdoors with Rusty Barron 84 Parting Shots 86 Now Hiring - L.E. Positions Open in Texas 62 SHOP FOR BLUES, BACK THE BLUE MERCHANDISE 72 76 DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS, by DARYL LOTT HPOU EDITORIAL, by PRESIDENT DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 4 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 5