By PAUL A. ANTHONY, panthony@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8237June 12, 2006
ike many police officers, Sgt. Bill Mabe always wanted to be a cop.
nlike them, he waited a while to do it.
''I kind of had a late start in the police force,'' said Mabe, a detective supervisor in the San Angelo Police Department. ''That's just always what I wanted to do. I just finally did it.''
ighteen years after leaving construction for police work, Mabe, 52, was named last month as the San Angelo department's annual Officer of the Year, the second such honor given since Police Chief Tim Vasquez started the department's annual awards banquet in 2005.
abe, who spent the majority of his career in the department's narcotics division, now supervises eight detectives in the criminal investigation division.
'I was very much surprised, very overwhelmed,'' Mabe said of winning the award, the topmost in the department, which has about 150 officers.
fter graduating from Angelo State University in 1978, Mabe, a San Angelo native, went into construction work. It wasn't until he was about 35 that he changed careers, going through the police academy with men 15 years his junior.
espite the age difference, Mabe said, he thinks he had it a little easier than the others.
'I had a little more life experience than most people,'' he said. ''Some recruits are kind of searching for what they want to do. I knew this was what I wanted to do.''
o win Officer of the Year, an officer must first win one of a series of other annual awards - such as investigator or patrol supervisor of the year. Mabe was named investigative supervisor of the year, and one of the detectives he supervises, Detective Eddie Chavarria, was named investigator of the year.
asquez said Chavarria's award also reflects on Mabe, who exhibited several qualities that led to winning Officer of the Year.
'That might say a lot about his leadership,'' Vasquez said.
fficers submit nominations for various awards to an awards committee convened by the chief, which then selects the winners of each award. Those winners then are eligible for Officer of the Year.
abe has several qualities that made him stand out, Vasquez said.
'There were a lot of things that came into play - most of all, probably, his willingness to help, his ability to coach, his knowledge and his desire to accomplish the mission'' of the department, he said. ''He's been involved in every major investigation we've had this year.''
hose sentiments were echoed by at least one of his detectives.
abe makes himself available for questions and advice if detectives run into questions on a case, said Detective Kathryn Walker. His 12 years of experience in narcotics make him a valuable resource, she said.
'He'll go way out of his way to help anybody with anything,'' Walker said. ''He's a big asset in our department.''
The honored
he San Angelo Police Department conducted its second annual Appreciation Awards Banquet late last month.
ollowing is a list of officers who received awards:
-Bobby Berrie - Reserve of the Year.
-Linda Ashton - Community Service Award.
-Georganna Kennedy - Communications Operator of the Year.
-Shawna Hitchcock - Civilian of the Year.
-Don Gallion - Support Services Officer of the Year.
-Charla Sparks - Support Services Supervisor of the Year.
-Eddie Chavarria - Investigator of the Year.
-Sgt. Bill Mabe - Investigative Supervisor of the Year.
-Kara Jeffcoat - Rookie of the Year.
-Robert Ramos - Patrol Officer of the Year.
-Sgt. Matt Baldwin - Patrol Supervisor of the Year.
-John Mark McLaughlin - Special award for contribution to the department.
