Beginning his time as acting president for the Texas Police Chief Association, Levelland Police Chief Albert Garcia is prepared to make a positive impact and represent his region well.
An association that was started in 1958, there are over 1400 members in this association across the entire state of Texas. Albert started with the association in 2007 when he was the chief of police for the Idalou Police Department.
“I was encouraged to sit on certain committees, and I was encouraged and asked to be the region three director for the TPCA,” said Garcia. “I stayed as regent three director from 2009 until 2019. I was region three director for several years and it was great and such an honor.”
While becoming a member of the TPCA is an honor, Garcia was also a part of certain committees and boards within in the association. It is through his hard work and many volunteer hours that he was considered to sit on the elected board which also opens the door for a presidency term which is yearlong.
“I was elected to the board because of the service that I had already put in with the association with the amount of work and the amount of volunteer hours,” explained Garcia.
Former presidents that had the presidency chair before are the ones who have taken notice at some of the work that has gone on and they make the decision of the next president.
Garcia added that it is humbling thinking that former presidents considered the amount of hard work done for the association and chose him to serve.
“Having the honor of being the president, I hope I don’t let them down,” said Garcia. “We’re making an impact for west Texas as there are 23 counties in this particular region. I believe we’re making an impact across the state of Texas from things like our legislators and even our federal government.”
Garcia explained that there is a feeling that west Texas and other areas that are considered central such as Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston garner more attention due their size. Taking the position of president, Garcia has made it a part of his mission to bring attention to the areas of Texas who are in need of attention or help but fall upon deaf ears. Helping that goal, when Garcia’s term as president ends, Lubbock’s Floyd Mitchell will serve as the next president followed by Trevor Barnes of Slaton.
“We’re making an impact around here and it’s and it’s great to see law enforcement in our particular field have some success,” said Garcia. “For them to see who we are, hear from us directly and for us to be able to fight the good fight for our people in this region makes me feel good about m actually making a positive impact.”
In his time working in law enforcement, Garcia attributed the impact he has had in communities he has served along with the TPCA in part to the people he has worked with. Working with cities such as Idalou, Littlefield and Levelland, Garcia thanked every agency for allowing him to take the time to represent each department in the TPCA.
“As the chief of police for multiple entities, I have always been encouraged to continue my service with TPCA,” said Garcia. “There’s some cost associated with it as there’s some time that I have to spend away from the offices. For them to encourage it, I’ve been very blessed to be part of this to help communities.”
When the chances of having the presidency came about, Garcia explained that the Levelland City Council along with City Staff were encouraging and excited for him to represent the community well. In addition, they also understood that Garcia would be pulled away to perform his duties in the new role.
“They understand that it’s going to take some valid commitment on my side to make sure that I’m successful as the president and they all felt that you can’t pass up this opportunity,” explained Garica. “I can’t thank them enough for supporting and encouraging me to keep putting my best foot forward and representing Levelland in the TPCA.”
In terms of his officers at the LPD, Garcia knows his department can handle their jobs. He added that while he is gone from time to time, he doesn’t want anyone in his department to feel that he is absent or not a priority.
“I take comfort in knowing that my guys can handle themselves and do an excellent job serving the community of Levelland and they were encouraging of me taking this role,” said Garcia.
Starting the year strong with a lot on his plate, the current legislative session at the state level has taken a good portion of Garcia’s time as his voice and opinion has become elevated.
With his opinion and voice garnering more importance with the position, that is one aspect of the role that Garcia hopes he can navigate to the best of his ability. Having the ability to influence and have his voice heard with serious consideration means that there is a lot more responsibility in his decisions.
Helping through that as well is Hockley County Sheriff Ray Scifres who is a part of the Texas Sheriff’s Association. Both individuals have the task of representing the west Texas area along with the state of Texas during the current legislative session.
“The lucky part is I have an outstanding friendship with Scifres and he’s a part of the legislative committee for the TSOA,” said Garcia. “We spend a lot of time together talking about different bills and the direction of the legislation. Having a unique relationship with our departments, we want to bring that type of working together to the state and even federal level. Essentially, we have the same goal or mission, so why wouldn’t we work together?”
Once the legislative session wraps up, Garcia will begin to shift his focus toward areas of Texas that are receiving less attention such as the valley down south, north Texas in Amarillo area and the El Paso area.
Eager to make a positive impact for the state of Texas, Garcia is ready to make his year of serving as president as productive as possible.