6 January 26–February 1, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents U.S. residents who were honorably dis- charged from the military to become peace officers in Texas. The Houston Police Department advo- cated for HB 1091 at the time. “We are under no illusions that this will end the shortage of officers,” the department wrote. “Even if every honorably discharged legal permanent resi- dent were to apply, we would still be searching for qualified people. But the need for potential officers, especially from diverse backgrounds, must be addressed, and this is a population we’re ignoring for no justifiable reason.” Another bill filed in the Texas Senate this year would do virtually the same thing as HB 1091. But Johnson doesn’t think the law should be so narrow. Johnson said that approach may seem politically safer, but it makes more sense to pass broader legislation. “We all support veterans. We all support employment for veterans. Veterans have demonstrated their allegiance to this country,” Johnson said. “I think, however, it is neither rational, nor fair, nor even politically necessary, to limit ser- vice as a peace officer to people who have served in the U.S. military.” Doing so significantly narrows the hiring pool for police departments. Johnson said he would vote for narrower legislation if that’s all that was left on the table, but he’s confident his bill will pass. “It’s just nonsensical,” he said. “We need to get past the political fear of noncitizens contributing to the state. And I think we can. I’m optimistic for this.” Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata said the city’s police department is still several hundred officers short of being fully staffed. He said DPD has about 3,100 offi- cers, but it needs between 3,600 and 4,000. “A good operating status would be 3,600 to 3,700, so we’re maybe 400 to 500 off from where we need to be,” Mata said. Current officers are leaving faster than the depart- ment can hire and train more. It takes some 18 months to get new officers through train- ing and onto the streets. At this rate, Mata said it will take at least five years for the de- partment to reach adequate staffing levels. Another problem is officer retention. Of- ficers are retiring earlier these days, Mata said. Now, they generally retire between the ages of 53 and 56. They used to retire be- tween 58 and 62 years old, he said. “If we could put in policies that would help retention of those senior officers to stay three to maybe five more years than they had planned to, that would help us in that five-year plan of catching up in hiring,” Mata said. “You’ve got to stop the bleeding.” If the department can’t, it will continue hav- ing to play catch-up. And there’s not a lot to play catch-up with. The biggest problem, Mata said, is too few people in the hiring pool. “The number of those individuals who would walk in the door because being a police officer is what they’ve always wanted to be is much smaller,” he said. “And everybody is needing officers. That talent pool is smaller and yet everybody’s try- ing to get them. … So, it’s a constant battle with every major police department across the city and even the suburbs.” Johnson’s bill could give police depart- ments more options. Mata said as long as there were enough steps in place to help de- termine who is being hired, he wouldn’t op- pose a law allowing permanent residents to become police officers. ▼ LEGISLATURE OLD TIMES BEST FORGOTTEN LAWMAKER HOPES TO ABOLISH CONFEDERATE HEROES DAY AS AN OFFICIAL STATE HOLIDAY. BY KELLY DEARMORE S tate Rep. Jarvis Johnson, a Houston Democrat, announced a new bill, House Bill 51, that aims to abolish Confederate Heroes Day as an official Texas state holiday. The occasion, established in 1973, falls annually on Jan. 19, which is also Robert E. Lee’s birthday, a state holiday es- tablished in 1931. This is the third time he has filed such a bill. Confederate Heroes Day is a partial holi- day for state employees, which means of- fices are still open but someone employed by a state agency can still get paid to take a day off to honor those who fought and died for the Southern states during the Civil War. Martin Luther King Jr. Day also sometimes fall on Jan. 19. That’s not an insignificant point. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holi- day, first observed in 1986, falls on the third Monday of January. A 2020 Texas Monthly ar- ticle reports that Confederate Heroes Day was created in Texas during the course of a battle between lawmakers seeking to recognize Con- federate luminaries and King. “Webster’s definition of a hero is some- one who is admired and idolized for cour- age, outstanding achievement and noble qualities,” Johnson said. “I asked a lot of my staff members and even a lot of children what they thought a hero was and more times than not, they said a hero was some- one who did something for someone other than themselves, someone who sacrificed for someone else. Confederate Heroes Day is a remembrance of a horrible past.” At a press confercne Johnson addressed some of the arguments opponents of this bill have raised. “There are those who will say that this [bill] is revisionist history, that this day is simply a reminder of their culture, a re- minder of their heritage,” he said. “I’ll tell you about culture and heritage: The Confed- eracy is also my culture and my heritage. My great-great-great-grandfather fought for the Confederacy as a slave owner. That same man is the man that raped my great-great- great-grandmother.” Johnson also connected his bill with the ongoing public debate around the topic of Critical Race Theory in schools. “If we care so much, as Republicans of- ten say they do, about CRT and how it puts white students in uncomfortable situations when race relations from before they were around are brought up, I challenge my col- leagues to keep the same energy here,” he told the Observer by phone. “This is a holi- day that, every year, puts the emotional and mental stability of Black students at risk.” Democrat Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas was one of the lawmakers who joined Rep. Johnson during the press conference. Sen. Johnson said the state’s having an official hol- iday honoring the Confederacy “makes me feel sick,” before asking rhetorically, “who would pass this piece of garbage today?” Sen. Nathan Johnson didn’t stop there, adding: “This isn’t about the definition of hero, if you want to go there. To some people, if you’re in the military and you die, you’re a hero. Should Germany make a hero out of ev- ery fallen Nazi soldier? Should Britain make a hero out of every soldier who committed atrocities in India? I can go on and on.” The fact that he has filed this bill three times does not discourage Rep. Jarvis John- son. As awareness about the conflicting calen- dar dates and the ideals of Confederate He- roes Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day builds, Rep. Johnson thinks pressure on top officials will be hard to ignore. “The state wants to heal,” he said. “I’ve talked to many of my Republican colleagues, and if they want to be the party of Lincoln, as they tout, then you can’t be a Confederate sympathizer. If you want to continue to ad- vance, then you can’t keep an ideology around that is harmful and divisive.” Justin Sullivan /Getty Images Police shortages might be solved by allowing permanent residents to be officers. 2152 W. 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