What is a Dallas County Sheriff’s Reserve Deputy?
A reserve deputy is a person from the community who volunteers his or her time as a uniformed deputy sheriff. They have been fully trained through a TCOLE-approved Police Academy as a peace officer and have full arrest authority under Texas State law. Reserve deputies are held to the same high standards as regular full-time deputies. Therefore, each reserve deputy must pass an extensive background investigation plus meet all medical and psychological criteria.
Reserve deputies serve at the will of the sheriff and are used to support and supplement the deputy workforce. Duties include and are not limited to:
DWI patrol
Fugitive Transfer
Jail Support
Warrant Execution
Drug Interdiction
If you would like more information concerning the Dallas Sheriff’s Department Reserves, you may contact Major Darryl Martin, Commander, via email at darryl.martin@dallascounty.org or by phone at 214-200-5602.
Brief History of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Reserve:
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Reserve was started in June 1951 from an idea at a meeting between Sheriff Bill Decker and Col. Harold B. Younger of the Texas State Defense Guard. The guard had been put on inactive reserve status upon the return of the National Guard units after World War II. Many of these state guardsmen felt that they did not want their training to go to waste as they still wanted to be of service to their country in case of an emergency.
From that June meeting, Class I was created. On July 24, 1951, a total of 59 guardsmen began their training.
Reporting for training once a week for two hours, the class met in the old Criminal District Court # 2 of Judge Robert A. Hall. The reservists were directed during their training by Sheriff Bill Decker and Deputy Charles Polk Player.
Class I held their graduation in the same courtroom where they had received their training on December 11, 1951.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Reserve has been called to duty many times in its 73-year history. What started out as reserve officers supplementing the patrol section grew to cover all areas of the sheriff’s department. (Patrol, Warrants, Fugitive, and Detention Services) In addition to the everyday functions of the department, the Reserve Division has been mobilized for major events and disasters throughout Dallas County.