Do you have a training or employment to promote? Go to the CONTACT US page.
Welcome to the Coastal Bend Peace Officers Association
Serving the Coastal Bend and it's Officers Since 1966.
Do you have a training or employment to promote? Go to the CONTACT US page.
Serving the Coastal Bend and it's Officers Since 1966.
Really nice story on the longest serving Sheriff in Texas, our own CBPOA Scholarship Chairman, Sheriff Larry R. Busby.
Bee County Sheriff Randy Aguirre and all law enforcement in Beeville welcome you as they host our second meeting of 2025 on Thursday May 8th. Location/Time TBA.
San Patricio County Sheriff Oscar Rivera and his staff will be hosting our third meeting of 2025. Location/Time TBA.
Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd and his staff will host our fourth and final meeting of the CBPOA for 2025.
Date/Location/Time TBA.
We are currently looking for a host agency for the January 2026 meeting. Contact CBPOA President Danny Lorberau ASAP.
Applications for CBPOA scholarships are being accepted for children of current CBPOA members, and who wish to pursue a career in law enforcement. To obtain an application and to see the requirements, go to the bottom of this home page and download the "Scholarship Application" and "Scholarship Requirements."
Click on the "Our Directors and History" page to see our updated list.
The Nueces County Sheriff's Office has just released their list of the 10 Most Wanted.
If you have any information, call (361) 888-TIPS or www.888TIPS.com
Renan Duarte
Thu, March 27, 2025 at 2:15 AM CDT
Tragedy struck in Texas once again. In a heartbreaking series of events that has shaken the foundations of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, four deputies have tragically ended their own lives within a brief six-week period.
As the community grieves these losses, questions about the unseen battles that law enforcement officers face behind their badges arise.
Last week, the sheriff’s office announced the passing of Deputy Christina Kohler. The 37-year-old law enforcement officer had joined the force in 2018 and served in the courts division.
According to police officials, Kohler was reported missing two weeks ago and her body was discovered on March 13, with a medical examiner ruling her passing as self-harm. The news of Kohler’s passing added to the growing number of late officers who have taken their own lives in the last two months.
Just three days after Kohler’s passing, former Harris County officer Maria Vasquez also took her own life, after having retired from the department in December 2024. The most recent in the series of passings was that of former deputy William Bozeman, who was found deceased at the beginning of last week in March 2025.
The alarming trend began on February 6, when another ex-sheriff deputy, Long Nguyen, passed away in a similar manner at the age of 58.
Speaking about the tragic series of events, the president of the Harris County Deputies’ Organization, Jose Lopez, told KTRK-TV, “It caught a lot of us by surprise.”
“One is too many. Two? Three? Yes, it’s definitely devastating,” Lopez added.
The officer had been helping his Texan colleagues process the grief of the late deputies as he personally knew two of them for more than two decades.
“It hits very close to home and it’s a reminder to us how fragile life is and it’s also a reminder we do need to look out for each other. We do need to take care of each other,” Lopez added.
According to Houston Police Officers’ Union president Douglas Griffith, the entire law enforcement community is under threat. The statistics show that the risk rate for self-harm ranks about 54% higher for those in law enforcement.
After four of the HCSO officers recently passed away by taking their own lives, HCSO’s behavioral health team shared that it’s important to break down the stigma surrounding mental health to possibly save more lives.
“We do everything we can to minimize the threats these officers face, but you can’t always face the threat that’s within,” Griffith said.
He said that from the first day at the academy, an officer’s mental health takes priority. But sometimes what they see daily carries an unbearable weight.
“We do see that a lot of our officers who do commit su–ide … there may have been signs that we missed. And then that torments us,” Griffith said.
The director of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Behavioral Health Division, Dr Thomas McNeese, went further into the alarming statistics during an interview with KHOU 11.
Behavioral Health Division Director Thomas McNeese shared, “The average citizen I think in a lifetime may be exposed to two — I think is the statistic — critical incidents whereas one of our officers might be exposed to that on a shift. So, over time, that definitely takes a toll.
“It’s cumulative and it takes a toll over time because it depletes your reserves that you have,” McNeese added.
“It’s OK to not be OK, but it’s not OK to not do something about it. You don’t want to stay stuck there,” McNeese concluded.
McNeese stated that the Harris County Behavioral Health Division is among the first of its kind in the United States to provide in-person or office care. The division’s peer support deputies include Karen Altamirano and John Celius.
“I would say it’s heavy, especially seeing people that you know, it’s hard on them. And the biggest thing was trying to get them to see that it’s going to be OK — we’re going to push through,” Altamirano shared.
“The driving factor for both of us is we want to be that support for our colleagues,” Celius said. “We want to be that support for our peers.”
If you are having thoughts of self-harm, please call the National Sui*ide Prevention Hotline immediately at 988 or chat with counselors on their official website.
Our guest for this podcast episode of "10-8/10-41" is Kevin Behr, Chief of Police of the Beeville Police Department.
You can catch the episode streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts.
This organization is made up of TRAINED first responders (FIRE, POLICE, MEDICAL PERSONNEL) who are dedicated in helping other first responders with STRESS/PTSD (PEER TO PEER TEAM SUPPORT.)
This will give the first responders a place to relax in a stress-free environment and talk with other first responders that have been in the same situation or a situation of their own.
This organization has been receiving overwhelming support from the public, companies and other first responders. We greatly appreciate all the help that you give.
What is so unique about this program is that it will be mostly conducted on a boat/vessel so the first responder does not feel enclosed, and that it will give him or her a chance to connect with nature and talk at the same time. This program will be extended to the family members, as well as the first responder.
Daniel Perkins, CEO
BlueThunder911.com
Email: Firedept1308@yahoo.com
Facebook: Blu Thunder 1
Blue Thunder is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization
Have your agency Chief contact:
Customer Service: 866.941.4090
Your agency can receive training to help combat child sex trafficking. For more information, please contact Minta Moore at:
New Life Refuge Ministries
PO Box 9157
Corpus Christi, TX · 78469
Phone: (361) 946 - 6331 | Fax: (361) 888 - 8895
info@newliferefugeministries.org
Our member dues are some of the most affordable of any law enforcement organization anywhere.
"The purpose of the CBPOA shall be to promote the cooperation and understanding of all persons involved in the enforcement of laws of the State of Texas and of the United States; the continued and convenient interchange of information and training between various Federal, State and local agencies, and to conduct ourselves in a manner that
"The purpose of the CBPOA shall be to promote the cooperation and understanding of all persons involved in the enforcement of laws of the State of Texas and of the United States; the continued and convenient interchange of information and training between various Federal, State and local agencies, and to conduct ourselves in a manner that will gain the respect of those we serve and to constantly strive to improve our position.'
The Coastal Bend Peace Officers Association is responsible for awarding thousands of dollars of scholarship money each year to qualified and responsible sons and daughters of CBPOA members who wish to carry on the tradition of law enforcement and law enforcement related fields.
Whether you help through providing meeting locations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you. We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help of members like you.
Do you want to join the CBPOA? It's simple. Just click on the "DOWNLOAD" button below, print the file and fill it out. You can email the completed form to Charity Franco at coastalbendpoa@gmail.com
CBPOA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION (docx)
DownloadIf you have a student who is in need of a scholarship, click on the "DOWNLOAD" buttons below to print up the "SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION" and the "SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS" FORMS
Coastal Bend Peace Officers Association