Rick Flores announces bid
for Webb County Sheriff

By María Eugenia Guerra

"The most important difference between my opponent, the incumbent Sheriff, and me is that he is a politician and not a public servant," said former 49th Judicial District criminal investigator and domestic violence counselor Rick Flores as he announced his bid for Sheriff of Webb County. Flores will face incumbent Sheriff Juan Garza in the March 2, 2004 elections. Sheriff Garza has served as Sheriff of Webb County for 16 years.
"The focus of the Sheriff of Webb County has been one of politics and not one of public safety," said Flores, a licensed Texas peace officer and a police academy instructor.
"The Department, despite its many good officers, has operated in a state of dormancy for lack of leadership of the chief law enforcement officer in the county. He surfaces only at election time, whether it is his own or the election of someone else," continued Flores, a domestic violence counselor certified by the National Association of Forensic Counselors.
"Sixteen years is too long a tenure for someone whose chief concentration is politics and not law enforcement or the welfare of the officers of his own department," Flores continued, adding, "The taxpayer constituents of Webb County deserve the protection and services for which they have paid. They deserve a department that is not in shambles. The men and women who are officers of that department deserve the training, technology, equipment, and backup that ensures their own safety."
Flores, a former corrections officer for the Corrections Corporation of America, said, "As the county's population escalates, so does violence, not only in the community, but also in the County Jail where there is evidence of severe beatings and assaults and fatalities due to drug overdoses. That needs to change. What are syringes and heroin doing in the Webb County Jail? What else is in there? That's too serious to look away from."
Until late June 2003 and since August 1997, Rick Flores was one of the grace notes in a District Attorney's office otherwise pocked by federal investigations, scandal, and jail time for several high profile members of DA Joe Rubio's staff. Flores was summarily terminated by assistant district attorney Roberto Balli, who advised Flores that his ascending political profile was not in the best interest of the DA's office.
During his tenure in the DA's office as counselor and criminal investigator, Flores was instrumental in the formation of the Webb County Domestic Violence Coalition and in the organization of the Coalition's annual conference on domestic violence.
As counselor and investigator, Flores provided victims of domestic violence with crisis intervention counseling, protective orders, referrals to a shelter, social services, housing, medical care, and long term therapy. He also accompanied victims to court, conducted field visits to monitor their safety, and testified as an expert witness in cases of family violence.
Flores also worked exhaustively in community education and outreach, particularly through the Webb County Domestic Violence Coalition, to bring domestic violence out of the shadow of stigma and pain and into the realm of investigations and legal remedies for the abused and consequences for the abusers. Flores is credited with developing programs within the DA's office to serve the specific needs of Spanish speaking families with limited education. He developed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Training Manual used by the Webb County Domestic Violence Coalition and spearheaded the DA's office's effort to assist undocumented victims with the preparation and filing of immigration documents to the Immigration and Naturalization Service under the 1994 VAWA Act.
Part of Flores' work in the community, while at the District Attorney's office, was to plan and coordinate bilingual presentations and workshops about domestic violence, teen violence, substance abuse, and sexual assault. In March 2003 he addressed El Primer Congreso Internacional de la Familia in Nuevo Laredo. In January 2003, he was an instructor in domestic violence to Texas Migrant Council employees locally and at satellite locales in Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan. His videotaped presentation on how to identify child abuse and domestic violence is implemented for staff development and training to meet accreditation requirements.
Also in 2003, Flores provided training to SCAN (Serving Children and Adolescents in Need) Sexual Assault Services and Information volunteers in a 16-hour course covering law, legislative updates, safety planning, referals, role playing, and sensitivity to victims and families of sexual assault.
From August 1997 to the present, Flores has been a licensed instructor for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education at the Laredo Community College Regional Police Academy.
From January 1999 to 2002 Flores taught as an adjunct professor of sociology at Laredo Community College and Texas A&M International University. He was formerly employed as an administrator and behavioral manager at the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program and as a supervision officer for the Webb County Community Supervision and Corrections Department.
Flores holds a master's degree in Sociology from Texas A&M International University and a BA in Criminal Justice from TAMIU. He and his wife Alma Davila Flores have two children, Richie and Nohely. Flores is also the father of Rebecca Gutierrez.