The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 103, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 2, 1993 Page: 6 of 32
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Bowen: ‘We won't miss ‘em
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You're welcome.
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______CANADIAN. HEMPHILL CO., TEXAS
THURSDAY 2 DECEMBER 1993
tell the media what they ask,
they’ll print a good story. If you
don’t they’ll run around you
and get the story anyway. I’ve
been honest with them, and
they’ve been honest with me.”
When asked what effect the
move might have on local law
enforcement, Bowen said that
tentative plans are to con-
solidate 31st District Counties
into some form of task force,
and to “get a grant or some-
thing we can work with. If we
can come up with some money
to get another two or three
people to work in these coun-
ties, we’ll be better off.”
Sheriff Bowen referred to
the recently signed anti-crime
bill, saying that there should
be more money and assistance
available for such local efforts
He also speculated that Hem-
phill County could return to a
previous arrangement with
the Department of Public
Safety, saying “I have talked to
the DPS. We quit calling them
when we got into this task
force.”
Bowen said cooperative ef-
forts with DPS resulted in
several successful narcotics ar-
rests, and that such an arran-
gement is a viable alternative
The letter from the Board of
Governors also held out the
possibility of an agreement
being reached, but made it
clear that any such move
would not be made by them
“Should you decide you want to
be a part of the law enforce-
ment community of the pan-
handle by participating in the
Panhandle Regional Narcotics
Task Force.” the letter said in
closing, “please feel free to con-
tact us. If you desire to provide
personnel and or resources to
the [task force], we welcome
your assistance and participa-
tion.”
But the consensus at the
end of this week among lav'
enforcement agencies affected
by the decision was summed
up by Sheriff Billy Bowen.
A six-year association be-
tween the Hemphill County
Sheriff’s Department and the
Panhandle Regional Narcotics
Trafficking Task Force was
abruptly severed last week
when law enforcement officials
in Hemphill, Gray and
Wheeler counties were notified
that members of the board of
the 26-county task force had
voted to discontinue opera-
tions in those areas.
The task force was formed
in 1987, eventually uniting
twenty-six counties in combat-
ting drug trafficking
throughout the Panhandle.
Funded by a federal grant
directed through the state, the
orce presently employs
’neteen officers—two of
whom are located in Pampa,
one in Deaf Smith County, one
in Borger, one in Ochiltree
County, one in Dalhart and the
rest in Amarillo.
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Kathy and Derrell Black
spent Thanksgiving Day in
Waynoka, Oklahoma with
family members.
Amarillo, Borger, Canyon,
places like that.”
“They say they’re not here
to work drugs...just to assist,”
Bowen continued. “But the
kind of assistance we need is
someone coming in here under-
cover and doing some buying.
They’ve not made an arrest
here. They’ve been over a few
times, but they haven’t done
any good.”
Bowen attributed the
board’s actions to the fact that
Amarillo police chief Jerry
Neal “just doesn’t like for
anyone to buck him, and that’s
what we did.”
Neal was quoted in the
Pampa News as saying “...If
they don’t want us there, we’re
not gonna force that on them.
If they want to withdraw, that
is their prerogative.”
But Neal also pointed to
newspaper reports as part of
the problem. “I don’t think this
is the way to do business
through the media,” he said.
The letter reiterated that
charge, saying in part, “You
have elected to discuss your
problems with the media as ap-
posed (sic) to the Board of
Governors of the Task Force.
This is very disappointing in
that it sends a message of
diversity to the criminal ele-
ment. This is certainly not in
the best interest of our com-
munities and citizens.”
“The Amarillo news media
called and I just answered
their questions,’’Sheriff Bowen
said. “I have found that if you
Theft at Ike Kelley ranch
is under investigation
removed before the wallets
were discarded.
The theft was discovered
reported by ranch employee
Don Houser on November
18th. The Sheriff’s Depart-
ment is investigating the inci-
dent, and directed a warning to
rural residents in particular to
secure their property and lock
their homes before leaving
them.
were reported last week by
Amarillo News-Globe staff
writer B. Scott Hunt.
Thirteen members of law
enforcement agencies in the
31st Judicial District, includ-
ing Sheriff Billy Bowen, at-
tended a dinner in Wheeler
last Tuesday night which had
been called for the purpose of
discussing those concerns with
task force representatives. But
shortly before the meeting was
scheduled to begin, the letter
was delivered to District Attor-
ney John Mann. The task force
Board of Governors refused to
attend the Tuesday night
meeting.
“The meeting was set up be-
cause some us were unhappy
with the task force,” said
Sheriff Bowen. ‘They needed
all twenty-six counties to sign
up so they could get their
grant...and once they got their
grant, they just worked in
Hemphill County kicked off
of regional drug task force
y A
The unexpected an-
nouncement was made in a let-
ter signed by the Board of
Governors of the task force,
which includes Sheriffs Jimmy
Boydston, Harold Hooks,
Larry Stewart and Joe Brown,
and Chiefs of Police Mike
Smith, Bobby Griffin and Jerry
Neal, with Pampa Police Chief
Chuck Flemins abstaining.
“We regret to inform you the
Board of Governors of the Pan-
handle Regional Narcotics
Task force voted to discontinue
working narcotics cases in
Wheeler, Hemphill and Gray
Counties with the exception of
the City of Pampa,” the letter
stated. It was written in
response to remarks made to
the press by officials in the
repudiated agencies, who
criticized the organization’s
lack of involvement in drug en-
forcement in smaller member
communities. The remarks
A theft of four saddles and
some wallets with unspecified
sums of money from the Ike
Kelley ranch on FM 1920 north
of Canadian was reported by
the Hemphill County Sheriff’s
Department this week.
The saddles and some brid-
les were removed from the
bam at a time which is still
undetermined, according to
Sheriff Billy Bowen. “We don’t
have any real evidence, yet,"
said Bowen. “Except for some
tire prints, we’re at a loss."
“We did find two of the
billfolds thrown out on the side
of the road,” Bowen reported,
but the money had been
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Ezzell, Nancy & Brown, Laurie Ezzell. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 103, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 2, 1993, newspaper, December 2, 1993; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1286144/m1/6/: accessed June 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hemphill County Library.