Starting his 40th year in law enforcement, Ector County ISD Police Officer Rick Henegar finds himself an overnight sensation of sorts.
Henegar was named Police Officer of the Year for the district. He has been with ECISD for 12 years.
He has served the Kermit Police Department leaving as a sergeant, was Muleshoe Chief of Police and then at the Odessa Police Department where he was sergeant and worked in internal affairs before coming to the school district.
“I figured I could do more,” Henegar said.
“When I was over at OPD, I was up for retirement … and I thought well, I’d like to try something totally different. I thought coming to the district police department would be just that, so I applied back in 2011 and they hired me. I’ve been here ever since,” Henegar said. “I like working the campuses.”
He is currently stationed at Nimitz Middle School, but also checks on Blanton and Burnet elementary schools and conducts their weekly safety audits and monthly drills. Henegar said the campuses have done quite well on the audits.
It’s a lot to keep track of, but it’s worth it to keep students and staff safe.
There are 1,400 students at Nimitz Middle School. Henegar has worked at Bowie and Bonham middle schools.
“I also take care of Blanton and Burnet. When they call and if they have something going on there, I come over and take care of those. I do their weekly audits and their drills for the month, too. It’s just a good thing and you get to know different people that work for the district,” Henegar said.
Being named Officer of the Year was a surprise.
“I was proud that they would pick me like that … When they called me up here and they were going to give the award, they called me up here for an internal affairs meeting. So I thought that’s what it was for. And then all of the district came through this door right here. It was a big surprise and it’s an honor to be officer of the year for this department,” Henegar said.
Asked if the recognition makes him want to work harder, Henegar said if he worked any harder he would be in trouble.
“I work my campuses and I try to take care of my kids and staff as best as I can. I just do. I work hard at that,” he added.
He gets to know the students — good and bad — by name.
“All of them are mostly good. I like to know them on a first-name basis if possible,” Henegar said.
He added that the students are usually more honest than adults.
“I worked with adults for years and years because of the police department … But the kids most of them say hey, if I’d done it, I done it. … They’re easier to talk with and we’re all right there on that one campus, so it makes it easier to talk with them. I run an open door policy on my campus. If I’m in there and the door’s open, they know they can walk right in,” Henegar said.
He told a sixth-grader last week about Crime Stoppers.
“They can do Crime Stoppers with me. But if I’m in my office and they walk by and I’m in there, they’re more than welcome to come in. That’s why I run that open door policy,” Henegar said.
Seeing him on a regular basis doing things like working on his computer or writing reports, it helps students realize police aren’t that scary.
“They see me in there and there’s another chair right by my desk … I tell them that every year, if I’m in there and my door’s open, come on in. It’s helpful because you never know what kind of problem may arise,” Henegar said.
He likes to be in the hallway during class changes.
“I think being visible where the majority of your students are is just the way to be. They know you’re there, and I think they feel more comfortable when they see that,” Henegar said.
“They ask a lot of questions when you’re in the hall and that’s good. That’s not a problem, especially when school starts. That’s just what you’re there for. It’s worked out good for me for the last 12 years,” he added.
From his office, Henegar can check security cameras at Nimitz, but also at Blanton and Burnet to make sure they’re working. He can also check any campus in the district.
“It has really made things easier,” he added. “My administration at Nimitz made sure that happened. We use our cameras. We get a lot of reports of different things during the school year. You can pull up that camera and say well this is what happened, or this didn’t happen,” Henegar said.
He added that it’s a shame schools have to have cameras. When he was in school he never saw a police officer in the building. They have a district police radio and a police radio, so they know what’s going on.
“Now they’re used to seeing an officer and I think they want an officer there,” Henegar said.
The goal is to have two officers on every middle school campus and someday they will reach that objective, he added.
Henegar got his GED and his associate degree in criminal justice from Odessa College.
Ever since he was about 14, he knew he wanted to be a police officer. He went to the Sweetwater Police Department and applied, but the guy at the desk told him to come back when he was 21.
He graduated from the police academy in Pecos and was hired at Kermit in March 1983.
“That’s all I ever wanted to do. I got an early start. I started when I was 22 in Kermit, Texas,” Henegar said.
Back then, they had 14 officers in Kermit, which he said was a lot.
“Was it busy? Yes it was. That was the best training you could ever get because you deal with everything in a small town. It was good training,” Henegar said.
ECISD Police Chief Jeff Daniels said Henegar was chosen as ECISD District Police Department Officer of the Year by his peers.
“I can’t think of anyone more deserving for this reward. Officer Henegar serves as a mentor and a leader within the department. Officer Henegar always has a smile on his face and he’s willing to help in any way he can. He is an officer with outstanding integrity and dedication,” Daniels said in an email.
Henegar and his wife, Pam, have two children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
His brother, Ray, also is a police officer working for the hospital district in Kermit. They are commissioned through the sheriff’s office. He also worked at OPD.
