Tarrant County Sheriff Republicans

A liberal dose

February 18, 2008

Dee Anderson hasn't drawn a challenger since he ran for Tarrant County sheriff in 2000, when he defeated six opponents including the incumbent sheriff.

Bill Waybourn, Dalworthington Gardens public safety chief, is a political newcomer who said he decided to challenge Anderson this year because it's time for change. 'It has always been the same ol' same ol',' Waybourn said.

Anderson said the department was 'in shambles' when he got there seven years ago. He points to his long list of accomplishments, including being named Lawman of the Year in 2006 by the Sheriffs' Association of Texas. 'There is no cry for change from anyone that deals with and pays attention to the Sheriff's Department,' Anderson said.

The sheriff supervises 1,400 employees and an annual budget of $100 million. Sheriff's deputies patrol a county of 1,000 square miles, house more than 3,000 inmates in four jail facilities, receive and try to serve more than 35,000 warrants a year and provide security to more than 60 courtrooms. The job pays $135,189.08 annually and comes with a county-owned car.

The term is four years.

BILL WAYBOURN

Age: 48

Occupation: Chief of public safety for Dalworthington Gardens

Background: He was born in Kermit and raised in southeastern New Mexico. He holds a bachelor's degree from Dallas Baptist University in criminal justice and a master's in leadership and conflict management from Trinity College and Seminary. He was with the U.S. Air Force Security Police before coming to Dalworthington Gardens in 1981. In 1984, Waybourn was appointed chief of police and, in 1988, he became the chief of public safety.

Web site: www.chiefforsheriff.com

Did you know:

Dalworthington Gardens was the first city in Texas to implement a no-refusal DWI program, which enables officers to obtain a search warrant and take blood from drunken-driving suspects to determine their blood-alcohol content. It was also the first department to put automatic defibrillators in squad cars.

Waybourn wants to build relations and have a unified front with law enforcement in the county; create a 'fusion intelligence center' that focuses on gangs, sexual predators and repeat offenders; and quickly bring in immigration officials when an illegal immigrant commits a crime in Tarrant County.

Waybourn and his wife, Laura, have four adopted children ranging in age from 3 to 19, including three from Russia. All are boys. Waybourn also has a son and a daughter, both grown, from a previous marriage.

DEE ANDERSON

Age: 51

Occupation: Tarrant County sheriff

Background: A Tarrant County native, Anderson attended Tarrant County Junior College and the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in journalism. Anderson began his law enforcement career in 1980 with the Arlington Police Department, where he served as a patrol officer and a field-training officer. In 1986, Anderson, who worked at various newspapers as a reporter and editor before he became an officer, became the spokesman for the department, a position he held for 15 years.

Web site: none

Did you know:

While in Arlington, Anderson gained national recognition for handling high-profile cases. He has appeared on Dateline NBC, ABC Prime Time and 48 Hours, to name a few.

Anderson co-founded the Amber Plan, a cooperative effort between law enforcement and the news media to alert the public instantly when a child is believed to have been abducted.

In 2003, Anderson was selected to attend the FBI's National Executive Institute, one of the nation's most prestigious training programs for leaders of large law enforcement agencies. Anderson became one of fewer than 800 leaders in the history of American law enforcement to complete that training.

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