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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-09-22 Euless Articles DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE / OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SLITTER FREEMAN BROWN CRANOR ANLL-AL CNTR MCDON-LD COLLINS W RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL BARKER L DATE DISTRIBUTED 9 /al 9/ /5 DATE OF,ARTICLE 9/ ( / / s NEWSPAPER F{YST Euless warrant officer honored for outstanding , work Estevan Rodriguez has been with Euless for three years His primary job is to serve warrants and transport prisoners L Rodriguez says he always tries to be respectful -4( . µ { Y r Tw 4/ T y 5" if QaUCt • •`i/ Euless warrant officer Estevan (Steve) Rodriguez was named as the 2014 W. M. (Blackie) Sustaire Memorial Award winner earlier this year for his work. Euless Police Department Courtesy By Domingo Ramirez Jr. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SUTTER FREEMAN BROWN CR NOR ANIMAL CNTR McDONALD COLLLVS IV RHODES GETCHELL LIBR-1RYADAILV LIBRARY REF H.IRTSELL BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED 9/ a a/s" DATE OF ARTICLE 9 /9 //5- NEWSPAPER FWYST EULESS During his police academy days, a training officer passed along some advice to Estevan "Steve" Rodriguez that the Euless warrant officer has never forgotten. — "Be human first and a police officer second," the 43-year-old Rodriguez said. Using that as the foundation for his law enforcement career, Rodriguez is now in his 12th year as a warrant officer, the last three in Euless. He was previously a warrant officer in Denton County. And it was Rodriguez's "outstanding"work last year that earned him the W.M. "Blackie" Sustaire Memorial Award. He received the award earlier this year at an annual departmental police banquet. The Sustaire award is named for the city's first police chief who later became a city manager in Euless. Sustaire served the city for 31 years, providing quality service to Euless residents, officials _ said. "This job is not always the most pleasant, however, he makes the best of any situation," said Police _ Chief Mike Brown in his award presentation to Rodriguez. "He is always courteous and professional in his dealings with the public. He especially displays great concern when dealing with the youth of the city." Capt. Gary Landers agreed. — "He's a great guy," Landers said. "He's a good officer who fits so well in this department." Raised in Farmers Branch, Rodriguez has been in law enforcement for 18 years, starting out as a patrol officer with the Farmers Branch Police Department. "Every police officer eventually will discover that they are good in one area or another, one officer might be good in narcotics, or another enjoys traffic," Rodriguez said. "For me, it's being a warrant officer." Typically, in their line of work, warrant officers deal with the people who are faced with the possibility of jail time. In addition to serving warrants, Rodriguez is responsible for transporting prisoners. Rodriguez acknowledged that he thinks twice before chasing down suspects. "Look, someone runs away, well I've got his name, home address, where he works and other information, so why run after him?" the warrant officer said. And Rodriguez said he tries to always be respectful. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE 3 OF 3 MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY SUTTER FREEMAN BROWN CRANOR ANLIL-IL CNTR McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARYADJN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED Cl a c?I` S DATE OF ARTICLE [ / l / s NEWSPAPER FWST "I try my best never to arrest someone in front of their kids," he said. "I got into police work to help, and I want to treat them as a person." Brown, the department's police chief, said Rodriguez earned the Sustaire award for his outstanding performance on a daily basis last year. "I know I have done a good job when I put someone in jail and they turn around and say, 'Thank you, Officer Rodriguez,"the officer said. "I know then that I did something to help them." • DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE / OF c='' MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SLITTER FREEMAN BROWN CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR McDONALD COLLINS W RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED ?l I 5 DATE OF ARTICLE 9i/o // 5 NE{i'SPAPERIA.)�4. COJ-- Career cop stays hopeful during battle of his life Sebastian Robertson, WFAA 7:58 ..m. CDT September 10, 2015 gyp.` � s # 'Y.iti • xA 4 Sryyx M* r-' .. s � 7 - 4 . __ .> ___� 1.J ...3 / ` k k..x a'ftilif " - .�'` �� # ii 1%;-. dir , ,� r i 4 Rafael Suarez(Photo: Provided) CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE — EULESS —52-year-old Rafael Suarez takes small steps with a cane at his side. Walking is hard, but walking through the halls of the Euless Police Department is even harder. I miss coming here, I miss coming here on a daily basis, I miss the camaraderie, I miss working with my brothers and sisters," said Suarez, a medically retired officer with the Euless Police Department. The career cop joined Euless Police in 2000 after spending many years as a police officer in Miami. Simply put, it was a change of pace. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF ,MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SUTTER FREEMAN BROWN CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR McDONALD COLLINS W RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL BARKER .• DATE DISTRIBUTED ( a l ! l S I S DATE OF ARTICLE l NEWSPAPER W 5 . co L "When I was in training here, I issued a citation to a motorist and they thanked me," Suarez said. "I never got thanked in Florida." Back in 2008, Suarez was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer. .‘ him !x. RAFAEL SUAREZ - MEDICALLY RETIRED 93• RETIRED EULESS POLICE OFFICER BATTLES CANCER sio " .` rs="- OPERATION COMEBACK SPECIAL MENTORS I JAPAN FL0004NO Rafael Suarez, who was forced to medically retire from the police force, is in the fight of his life. Sebastian Robertson reports. "I was devastated, I was shocked, I was healthy, I was working, I was active in the community," Lhe said. "I was doing what I wanted as my livelihood, being a police officer with the city of Euless, and it hit me. It hit me like a rock." LHe was sick, but didn't let his coworkers know. L • LINK: 'Team Suarez' on Facebook "He'd have his ports from his chemo that he would tape up under his uniform and still show up to Lwork," Sgt. Scott Peterson said. "It was almost like it was therapeutic to be at work and be around us." L L L DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE 3 OFA MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SUTTER FREEMAN BROWN CRANOR ANIMAL CNTRIllIl McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL BARKER i DATE DISTRIBUTED 9 / a`Q / /s- DATE OF.-IRTICLE 9/ 10 // S /', \ j NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER WT 7� . , G 4"", , , ,,,,,,!,..x....;., , ,—.04:**1;.:4 , Y " '`' if if 'IY a : x } sem I ;_ ik. I' 'ilf .III.0 4,404 .*i : t �� ' Aitie -',..t.. - 11..dialliallt ' - ' Rafael Suarez(Photo: Provided) — Last year, his disease almost killed him. Back in November he noticed difficulty breathing while getting ready for work. He called 911 and City of Euless dispatcher Mary Sanchez took the call - - and she knew who she was talking to. "He started arguing with me, and griping about, he wanted me to call someone and tell them he couldn't come to work," Sanchez said. It's been almost a year since Suarez went into full respiratory arrest and he hasn't been the same — since. But he remains hopeful. Doctors says a bone marrow transplant could change everything -- he's waiting on a donor. — "You may not save my life but you may save someone else's, and I appreciate it," Suarez said. _ Joining the bone marrow registry just takes a few minutes once you receive the testing materials in the mail. Click here to learn more about becoming a donor. i I DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE / OF 02 MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SUTTER FREEMAN BROIVN CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR McDONALD COLLINS W RHODES GETCHELL LIBR4RYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED t I a / I S. DATE OF ARTICLE r r I S /l5 NEWSPAPERNf14it, CDM Football Former Trinity star who hit ref says 'bad decision' doesn't define him By David Goins, WFAA September 18, 2015 __ . 1. L _ " -_ .. / _ r i L : .. L Eric Fieilo EULESS — What do you do when the one thing most people know you for is the worst moment Lof your life? Eric Fieilo knows the feeling. At the end of a senior year playoff loss in 2008 to Allen, the then-Euless Trinity High linebacker took out an official. 1 r. "I knew the decision I made was bad,"Fieilo said. "It was out of frustration, anger, selfishness, L being prideful." Fieilo was placed in an alternative campus and all his major Division I college scholarships were igone, too. "At that time, I believed it was done for me," Fieilo said. 0 I. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE a OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY SUTTER FREEMAN BROWN CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ARVIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL BARKER / I 9 /a a I s 9 l ' g (S NEWSPAPER1),-)Fill-A . C L` DATE DISTRIBUTED DATE OF ARTICLE But the soft-spoken and hard-hitting young man got another chance, at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. — He majored in criminal justice, played for the Bearkats, graduated, and is now back in Euless again—about to complete his first year as an officer with the Euless Police Department. _ "They trust in me, and they do believe that I've changed and moved on from that incident," Fieilo said. .. He says he's moved on, but when he saw the video of two San Antonio Jay High players earlier this month attacking an official, he says it all came back. — "Every time I hear something like that, I feel like I was the one to egg it on—I was the one to do that," Fieilo said. "Hopefully, one day I can forgive myself." Fieilo wasn't criminally charged for his hit—the two Jay players still face that potential, in what appears to be a coordinated target that may have involved members of the coaching staff. Fieilo, now 25, is married and a father of two, and says he has advice for the two young men facing potentially serious consequences: "If they are charged, take it. Take it for the good and — learn from it and move on in life,"Fieilo said. "Don't let it hold you down. Don't let it define the human being that you are. "Come back from it."