Chief deputy continues to work from the heart

GALVESTON — When people talk about Freddie Poor, one word tends to surface more than any other — “nice.”

In law enforcement, however, nice is not always the way to go. Those who have known him during a career that spans nearly four decades say he has always been able to read people and situations, as a lawman and as a leader, to achieve what has always been his stated aim — to serve the people of Galveston County.

It was an aim that kept him from enjoying a lengthy respite in 1993, when he retired as Galveston’s police chief. A few months later, he was in charge of a crew of detectives with the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office.

Sometimes, meeting that aim has meant terminating subordinate officers for conduct violations. Other times, it meant late nights poring over evidence to solve cases. Regularly, it has meant making the officers around him better, through suggestions and by example.

“He truly cares about the mission we have in law enforcement, the people he works with, the community and his family,” said Sheriff Gean Leonard. “He’s the ultimate in the phrase ‘justice tempered with mercy’ because of how fairly he treats people, whether it’s a criminal suspect or an employee.”

Poor, a native of Miami, Okla. (pronounced “Mi-am-uh,” the town was named for a Native American tribe), visited Galveston nearly every summer as a youth and started with the Galveston Police Department in June 1967, less than three months after his 20th birthday.

“I got here as soon as I could, basically,” he said.

He wanted to enter law enforcement because “of the respect I had for police officers.”

When he arrived, he said officers such s Jack Dawson showed him examples of integrity that proved he made the right decision.

Poor said the Galveston he patrolled in the 1960s, often on foot, was rowdier than the island today.

“Downtown was very busy. The port was busy; it was just an amazing place,” he said. “In one square block, from 20th to 21st and from Market to Postoffice, I once counted, I think, 23 bars. And yes, occasionally, we had to go into them, because there was someone who needed to go.”

Poor rang in the 1970s working in vice and narcotics, but soon gravitated to the division he would occupy for more than 15 years — identification.

Processing evidence, collecting fingerprints and sifting through crime scenes for clues were the identification division’s stock and trade, long before anyone even thought of calling a TV show “CSI.”

Today, Connie Pearson manages the police department’s fingerprint database. She said Poor always encouraged her to get more training so that she could be a better officer.

“A lot of supervisors keep the information to themselves so that no one can threaten their position,” she said. “Freddie Poor was always encouraging me. He was responsible for me going to the FBI academy. You could talk to a lot of people who would tell you they owe their careers to Freddie Poor.”

Poor said the case of the East End rapist in the early 1980s was a great example of what identification work could accomplish.

After Henry Hegwood was shot after breaking into a home, investigators matched his prints to ones taken in the sexual assault investigations and ultimately cleared about 60 cases. Hegwood is still in prison.

“It was a real reign of terror,” Poor said.

Poor, then a captain, applied for the chief’s position in 1989, at the behest of then-City Manager Doug Matthews. He implemented a five-year plan and worked to update officer training and equipment. By the time he retired in 1993, the department had met his goals, which he credited to the officers around him.

“I was supported by a staff of very professional men and women, and if I had any success, I owe it all to them,” Poor said.

Poor repeatedly pointed to others who were invaluable colleagues, from Galveston’s Bill Scott and James Kitchen to Sheriff Leonard and too many others to enumerate.

Today, Lt. Walter Braun heads the isle department’s identification division. He said he tried to emulate the leadership he saw in Poor.

“I don’t mean to alienate anyone else, because I’ve known some good ones, but he was probably the finest police administrator I’ve ever been around,” Braun said. “He had a very calm approach to everything. He was very open to people, and he always had respect for his subordinates.”

Poor said his 1993 retirement did not last long, because he itched to get back into crime fighting.

“I think I painted the house twice,” he said, smiling.

At the same time, Sheriff Joe Max Taylor was looking for a major to supervise detectives, and then-Chief Deputy Gean Leonard offered the job to Poor.

When Leonard was elected sheriff in 2000, following Taylor’s retirement, Poor succeeded him as chief deputy.

“This is not a knock on anyone else, but I think he was the best chief deputy we’ve had,” Leonard said, “and I’ll include myself in that list.”

Poor said his commitment was easier to keep with the support of his wife of 37 years, Karen, and their daughters, Wendy and Melissa. Amidst the plaques and law enforcement certificates in his office sit pictures of the family, including grandchildren Hannah and Tucker.

“In my job, I haven’t always been able to be home, and sometimes I’ve been gone for months, undergoing training,” he said. “To have my wife’s support, all these years, has been very important to me, and that’s become true of my children, as well.”

And Poor said he was not looking to retire again anytime soon, meaning the county would have his support for years to come.