5:30pm Beethoven Hall
Next HAPCOA SA Meeting set for June 25th
The next HAPCOA SA Meeting is Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
June 12th Mixer was huge success!
HAPCOA's SA Chapter Member recognition and Recruitment Mixer on June 12th was a great success. Seventy three (73) special guest were present and (9) new members were recruited.
Chapter President Ruben Garcia wrote the following thank you letter to attendees:
Dear Friends and Fellow Law Enforcement Professionals,
The Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA San Antonio Chapter) thanks you very much for attending our Member Appreciation and Open House Mixer June 12th.
It is always exciting to provide an opportunity to promote networking events within our profession and to recognize members and colleagues who have excelled in their profession and achieved prominent levels of success within the field of Criminal Justice.
We were very proud to announce the recent achievements of HAPCOA members who exemplify the Mission and Vision of what our organization is about.
Special Recognition of HAPCOA Members
* Art Acevedo, appointed to Chief of Police, Austin Texas
* Tony Chapa, appointed Assistant Director, United States Secret Service
* Joe Bañales, promoted to Deputy Chief San Antonio Police Dept.
* Richard Palomo, appointed to Chief of Police, South Side Independent
School District, San Antonio TX
· Mr. Lee Roy Villareal (Retired Deputy Chief Bexar Co. Sheriff’s Office) Executive Director,
HAPCOA National Executive Board
· Mr. Richard Garcia (Retired FBI Assistant Director) Global Director of Security - Shell Oil
· Mr. Willie Hulon (Retired FBI Assistant Director) Assist V.P. USAA Corporate Security
· Mark Bartlett, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service - San Antonio Field
Office
· Dr. Elizabeth Garza, Superintendent Edgewood Independent School District, San Antonio TX
· Sheriff Rolando Tafolla, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Texas
· Sheriff Tom Herrera, Maverick County Sheriff’s Office Texas
· Commander Eduardo Lopez, Maverick County Sheriff’s Office Texas
· Deputy Javier Hernandez, President National Latino Peace Officers Association
Central Texas Chapter, Austin Texas
· Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, 23rd District of Texas, Office Representative, Mario Obledo
As in any gathering of professionals, we may have not recognized others present who are equally important and vital to the mission of law enforcement. We thank you for your presence and participation in our mixer.
Chief Deputy, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office
President HAPCOA San Antonio Chapter
News article of HAPCOA member - Tony Chapa
Ken Rodriguez: History-making Latino set to retire from U.S. Secret Service
Web Posted: 06/22/2008 11:14 PM CDT
Ken Rodriguez
Express-News
Seven security cameras were broken. An infrared beam system was under repair. A state trooper missed video images of an intruder tossing a device onto the front porch.
So many lapses preceded the fire at the Governor's Mansion, a state safety official has asked the U.S. Secret Service to evaluate security risks there and at other state buildings.
After reading that story last week, I called an acquaintance who happens to be an assistant director of the Secret Service.
“Hey Ken,” said Tony Chapa, “how are you doing?”
Fine. I understand you might know something about security lapses at the Governor's Mansion.
“I can't comment,” Chapa replied.
You sound like a real secret agent.
Chapa laughed. “I can tell you this,” he said. “I am personally not involved.”
That's true. Chapa oversees the agency's office of professional responsibility (think internal affairs). But he also knows a thing or two about security.
In 22 years with the Secret Service, Chapa has helped protect four sitting U.S. presidents, two former presidents, one vice president and numerous former heads of state.
So yes, he could probably assess security lapses at the Governor's Mansion. But Chapa is retiring. He leaves next month as the highest-ranking Latino executive in Secret Service history.
You could say he's one of San Antonio's best-kept secrets. A graduate of Jefferson High School and St. Mary's University, Chapa has traveled the world undercover. He once flew to Bogota, Colombia, to investigate counterfeit currency flowing into the U.S.
His most challenging assignment came four years ago this month. While in the office of a veterinarian, Chapa's cell phone rang. The caller offered two words: “Operation Serenade.” That was code for “Ronald Reagan has died.” It also was code for “Activate security plans for the funeral now!”
Then head of the Secret Service field office in Los Angeles, Chapa scrambled. He called local law enforcement officials, took his sick dog home, then raced to the Reagan residence in Bel Air.
“I probably arrived within 30 or 40 minutes of being notified,” Chapa said. “And you know what? There were already 100 members of the press there. So much for the code word.”
A funeral home in Santa Monica had been secretly selected long before Reagan died. But when Chapa and other security arrived with the hearse, a huge crowd was waiting. “That was not part of the plan,” he said.
Chapa had to adjust on the fly. Organizing security for a state funeral is like assembling one for a presidential inauguration — a thousand details must be managed. For starters: Protocol. Family wishes. Foreign dignitaries. Public viewing. Crowd control. Intelligence. Media. “It was a week without sleep,” Chapa said.
During one news conference, a police official asked Chapa for help. Chapa stepped from the shadows into the lights of an international media throng.
What kind of security are you posting on the president's body?
What can you tell us about the autopsy?
Chapa: “I went back to my speech courses at St. Mary's and said, ‘Can you repeat the question?' I figured that would give me three or four seconds to organize my thoughts.”
Some questions he answered. Others he could not. Top secret, you know. “It was my 15 seconds of fame worldwide,” he said.
From his home in Washington, D.C., Chapa follows news in Texas. He recently heard a discussion of the Governor's Mansion fire on talk radio. “Kinky Friedman called in,” Chapa said, “and said he wasn't involved.”
Who might be? Don't ask Chapa. Most everything he knows is one big secret.
Call Ken Rodriguez at 
(210) 250-3369, or e-mail krodriguez@express-news.net.
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