Volume 11, Issue 5 News and Information From Your Sheriff May 2009 From the Sheriff Larry C. Deen Remember those who made sacrifice Thursday, May 14, law enforcement agencies from this area honored those who paid the ultimate price. The Bossier Sheriff s Office, the Caddo Sheriff s Office, the Bossier City Police Department, the Shreveport Police Department, the Louisiana State Police Troop G, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Bossier City Marshal s Office and the Shreveport City Marshal s Office honored the men and women who gave all they could give their lives in the line of duty. Their families have been left to mourn their loss and many of the survivors gathered to say, You are gone, but not forgotten. If you know someone who has lost a relative or close friend (Continued on page 4) Academy graduate and Academic Award winner Sarah Rhodes presents Sheriff Deen with a plaque expressing the appreciation of the first fully P.O.S.T.-trained class to be trained at the North Louisiana Criminal Justice Academy. She made the presentation at the May 22 graduation exercises in which 30 graduated, 12 of them Bossier deputies. NLCJA graduates first fully certified P.O.S.T. class Photos, story, page 6
THE PEOPLE PAGES Major Charles Gray, left, was promoted from captain and warden of the Medium Security Facility to major and is now the assistant Corrections Division supervisor. Captain Makesha Harris, at Sheriff Deen s left, was promoted from lieutenant to captain and is now the warden of the Medium Security Facility. Captain Linton Jacobs, right, was promoted from lieutenant to captain and will be the warden of the Minimum Security Facility. Sergeant Mitch Lollar, left, was promoted from deputy of detectives to sergeant of patrol. Sergeant Raymond Barnes has been promoted from deputy of patrol to sergeant. 2
Seven deputies promoted, some also assigned new duties Seven deputies have been promoted, and some have new duties as well (photos are at left and below.) Maj. Charles Gray was promoted from captain and warden of the Medium Security Facility to major and is now the Assistant Corrections Division Supervisor. Capt. Makesha Harris was promoted from lieutenant to captain and is now the warden of the Medium Security Facility. Lt. Rodney Boyer was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant and will work with Capt. Harris at the Medium Security Facility. Capt. Linton Jacobs was promoted from lieutenant to captain and will be the warden of the Minimum Security Facility. Lt. James Housworth was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant and will work with Capt. Jacobs at the Minimum Security Facility. Capt. Mark Mahoney at the training academy was promoted from lieutenant to captain. Sgt. Mike Gibson, also with the training academy, has been promoted to the rank of sergeant from deputy. Sgt. Mitch Lollar was promoted from deputy of detectives to sergeant of patrol. Sgt. Raymond Barnes has been promoted from patrol deputy to sergeant. Lt. James Housworth was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant and will work with Capt. Jacobs at the Minimum Security Facility. Capt. Mark Mahoney, at the training academy, was promoted from lieutenant to captain. Lt. Rodney Boyer was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant and will work with Capt. Harris at the Medium Security Facility. Sgt. Mike Gibson, with the training academy, has been promoted to the rank of sergeant from deputy. 3
FROM THE SHERIFF (Continued from page 1) Left, Roy Rawls stands guard at a wreath commemorating fallen peace officers. Right, Chief Julian Whittington, representing the Bossier Sheriff s Office, salutes. (Continued from page 1) while serving in a law enforcement capacity, be sure to tell them how much you appreciate them. It has been 55 years since the Bossier Sheriff s Office has lost a deputy in the line of duty. Maurice Miller was gunned down during a standoff about four miles south of Taylortown in 1954. His family still feels the pain of their loss and we sympathize with them. The loss of one life is too much, but we are fortunate no one in the Bossier Sheriff s Office has been 4 killed in the line of duty since then. I believe God has had His hand on our deputies and we pray that all of our people will continue to be the objects of His favor. There are many individuals and organizations dedicated to helping the surviving families of those who have died in the line of duty. One of the best organizations at the national level is COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc.). It was formed in May 1984 and was designed to give emotional support to all police survivors, regardless of the fallen officers law enforcement affiliation. Today, 25 years later, COPS has trained thousands of law enforcement officers to help them deal with line-of-duty deaths, not only for the surviving family but also the affected agency, co-workers and the community. It was Jesus who said, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Once again, we say, Thank you, to those who were willing to give up life itself in order to serve and protect.
Louisiana Law Enforcement Torch Run Bossier law officers run from the Bossier Civic Center to the Caddo Court House in part of a torch relay to raise awareness and funds for the Louisiana Special Olympics. Bossier deputies participating in the 2009 Law Enforcement Torch Run are, from left, Chad Madden, Eric Wikstrom, Jeff Pleasants (on Motorcycle), Justin Hutchens, Andrew Moore, Jesse Tallant and Jonathan Colgin. Andrew Moore carries the torch. 5
The staff of the North Louisiana Criminal Justice Academy, front, poses for a graduation picture with the Academy s first fully certified state Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission basic training class. Staff, from left, are Lt. Charlie Bright, Academy director Dr. David Walden, Sgt. Al Langley, Mabria Grosjean, Sgt. Mike Gibson, Lt. Bruce Teutsch and Deputy Scooter Rushing. Not pictured is assistant director Capt. Mark Mahoney. Academy graduates first fully certified P.O.S.T. class The North Louisiana Criminal Justice Academy held its first graduation May 21, honoring 30 fully certified Peace Officers Standards and Training graduates. Graduation was at 10 a.m. in the North Louisiana Criminal Justice Academy auditorium. The deputies that graduated from the academy were from agencies across the state. There were four awards given to three graduates of this class. The Firearms award was given to Trace A. Smith Jr., of the Bossier Sheriff s Office. The Academic Award was given to Sarah C. Rhodes of the Bossier Sheriff s Office. The Physical Fitness Award and Honor Graduate Award the highest award to be received were given to William C. Frazier of the Springhill Police Department. Sheriff Deen addresses the more than 300 people in attendance at the graduation of the Academy s first fully certified P.O.S.T. class May 21. 6
Volume 11, Issue 5 News of the Bossier Sheriff s Posse May 2009 Tyeskey left sleepy plantation for military adventures As he was lifted out of Vietnam via helicopter from his straight leg (other-than-airborne) infantry position, Preston Tyeskey noticed the aviation guys wearing fancy uniforms, shiny boots and name tags. Little did he know, on his second trip to Vietnam, he would be wearing that same uniform. Preston Tyeskey was born in Turnertown, Texas, May 28, 1944. He moved to Eastpoint, La., between Coushatta and Shreveport, and spent most of his younger years there. He worked on a plantation while he was in school, but by 11th grade, was fed up with the miniscule $2.50 a day he was making. There was no way he could survive on his own forever with that kind of pay. So, Tyeskey packed his bags and headed for Shreveport. His first job in the big city was at the Tote-A-Bag at the corner of Western Avenue and Milam Street. He was employed there for seven months. In September, he met Betty, the love of his life. They were married in April 1963, and he began working with her brother at his service station at the corner of Centenary and Kings Highway. After working there for one year and eleven months, he was recruited to join the United States Army. While he was at Fort Polk for basic Tyeskey training, his wife moved back in with her mother. Tyeskey went to Fort Gordon, Ga., for AIT training. Soon after he made what he calls his first mistake. He went to Fort Benning, Ga., for jump school. Tyeskey said, there was absolutely no need to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. So he quit and went AWOL because they wouldn t let him return home to see his wife. He automatically received a nonjudicial form of administrative discipline authorized by Article 15 of the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice, and was sent to Korea in mechanized infantry tank support for his first tour. He went in as a Private E2 with an Article 15 and was there for 13 months, leaving as a Sergeant E5. After Korea, he was transferred to Germany, where he and his wife lived for 40 months. He mostly trained while there. He reenlisted but was not awarded the bonus or job he wanted because of his Article 15. From there, he was sent to Vietnam in straight leg infantry near Pleiku. For ten months, he and his platoon looked for foot traffic on the island by walking it everyday. After leaving Vietnam, he was sent to Fort Ord, Calif., where he taught mechanized infantry squad proficiency. Trying to avoid being sent back to Vietnam in infantry, he told his supervisor that he wanted to be in aviation, where he d get to wear shiny boots, fancy uniforms and a name tag. So he went to Fort Rucker, Ala., to learn helicopter maintenance for the UH-1. He graduated from school in March 1971 and was sent back to Vietnam the following May. During the two months before his second Vietnam deployment, he moved his wife back to Shreveport. He moved her into a house on Hollywood Avenue, not knowing that it was a bad neighborhood. Not long after he left, a bullet came through the bedroom window as a result of a gunfight at a local club. Betty packed her things, and, by the end of the week, was living in Texas with her husband s family. After he returned, he was sent to (Continued on next page) 7
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BENTON, LA PERMIT NO. 33 The Posse Press (Continued from page 7) Fort Sill, Okla., but they were reducing helicopter maintenance personnel, so he went to Fort Rucker, Ala., again to train for the Bell Ranger. Then in 1973, he graduated from training on the CH-47, too. And that CH-47 training led him to Enuth, Okla., where he saw and assisted Pres. Richard M. Nixon. After the president stepped from the plane, it was Tyeskey s job to collect the memorabilia from the aircraft. So, he kept everything he could while his friends only got photos of Nixon. From there he traveled to Fort Sill, Okla., again and Fort Bragg, N.C., where he participated in some top-secret missions. In 1977, he and his family went back to Germany. There, he was promoted out of a job and sent to work in the community affairs office to work with 21 civilians, who all happened to be female. Tyeskey said that of all his time in the army those nine months working with those ladies was the hardest. In this position, he and the 21 civilians worked together with soldiers and their families to help stop abuse and other family issues. He was transferred to Fort Lee, Va., and Fort Stewart, Ga., before returning to Germany for the third time. In 1984, the family decided to move back to The States, and came to Fort Eustis, Va. He retired from Fort Eustis in 1989. Among the nine honors he received, Tyeskey bears a Bronze Star, an Air Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, and the Vietnam Cross of gallantry. The Tyeskey family moved back to Bossier, where Mr. Tyeskey worked at the Barksdale Air Force Base BX, and then as a campus police officer at Centenary College. Now he is completely retired, aside from being a substitute crossing guard at Bossier elementary and middle schools, and has been a Posse member since 2007. The Tyeskeys have a son, a daughter, Tabitha, and a grandson named Tristan who attends Haughton High School.