August 29, 2024 • 9 mins
Tim Ocnaschek is Beaumont's new Police Chief. He served as the administrative division coordinator for the department and emergency management coordinator fo the city of Beaumont for 17 years.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And on this week's Talking Southeast Texas, Tim Oxtacheck, the
new chief of police in Beaumont, joins us. Did I
say that right?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yes, sir tim oknascheck all right.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
First off, at what age did you decide you wanted
to get in law enforcement?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Seventeen?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
And what made you that make that decision?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, I had a recruiter from the Mesquite Police Department
come up to my high school and encouraged people to
apply in that and talked about a little bit about
what the police did and what the Mesquite Police Department did,
and I just wanted to get involved in that type
(00:40):
of work.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Your first day on the job as a rookie officer,
what do you remember most about that?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Well, my first day on the job was really about
thirty nine years ago.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Yeah, and so.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Not a whole lot. Just the thing that sticks out
in my mind most is just using the radio, being
able to talk on the radio while he had all
kinds of other things going on. I don't even remember
the first call I made.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Hi'd you up in Southeast Texas? I'm a kid from
the Metroplex up there at Mosquite. How'd you end up
in hot, humid Southeast Texas well.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I actually was too young to be a civilian police officer,
so I looked around at the military services, and who
could provide me a guaranteed job and a law enforcement
duty that would prep me for civilian police force and
maybe give me a little school and a little experience.
(01:44):
I felt that would stand me in good stead. So
I started out in the military and ended up getting
the reserve force at the Live Oak Police Department outside
San Antonio. My wife worked for a Red Lobster at
the time, and one of her friends came through Beaumont
and I think it was ninety one and going to
(02:11):
the boats over in Louisiana, and we had a billboard
up at the time right here in Beaumont that was
advertising jobs, and so I applied and got hired.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
You work your ways up the ranks, yes, here Beaumont PD.
From a street officer all the way up. You were
head of emergency management prior to become a chief police.
How did this prepare you for this job? Working a
way up to scale the way you have.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Well, it gives you the insights into how the department works,
the people that you're working with. It's not a small department,
so getting to know the staff and the employees, both
large civilian and sworn staffs, is not easy. Getting to
know the land, the locations, the community itself. Because working
(03:06):
here both at midnight's work in extra employment, sometimes with
bid or other organizations, you get to know a lot
of people in different perspectives. And then with emergency management
it was yet another perspective and it exposed me heavily
to the community in a lot of different aspects. And
having been here for almost thirty three years, it's given
(03:29):
me a chance to see even some of the parents
and the kids.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Visiting with the Beaumont Chief Police Tim oxtencheck Hie is
not new to the Beaumont Police Department more than three decades.
What if any advice that I'll go in, Chief Police
Jimmy SINGLETONY give you.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Well, we definitely were set in good stead when it
comes to the community involvement, and that's one thing that
we want to continue is being very integrated with the
community as a whole in developing partnerships. That's the biggest thing.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
You've got great officers in this apartment, whether they've been
on a forest, whether they're a rookie. I've got a
lot of veterans on a police department talk about recruiting
new officers, and I know you're always looking for new officers.
What's it going to take to get some good officers
at the police department? Here some additional good officers, I
should say, Well.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
We are always looking for people, and I think what
I do is challenge citizens to help us recruit. We
challenge our officers to help recruit.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
A lot of.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Times that face point to point is the best recruiting source.
We use billboards and everything else, but bottom line is
we can get a person on the street faster if
they're a lateral transfer that they've already been through the academy,
they've already been trained at another department. So we're looking
(04:59):
at the the departments. The city and the union got
a very good contract a couple of years ago that
has made the pay at Belmont Police Department commensurate with
other agencies, especially local agencies, and that helps it provides
for lateral transfers. And then the city has recently discussed
(05:22):
a budget proposal that would be potentially implemented October first,
with an incentive to encourage people to live here and
to move here.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Modern technology, we were recently introduced to the Real Time
Crime Center. Talk about this this new technology, and it's
really paid off already in getting some bad guys off
the streets.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
It sure has. There's not enough police to stand on
every corner or be at every location all at the
same time. So we're being able to leverage technology and
connect with infrastructure that already exists. A lot of people
have cameras at their homes, their businesses. The technology can
(06:10):
be integrated so you don't have to have a whole
bunch of different people monitoring different siloed approached technologies, and
so this gives us with a small amount of people
of ability to really expand our views.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Now, your message to the police force when he became chief?
Did you address him as a group? Are kind of
like an individually What was your message once you became
chief to all the officers in the department.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Well, the way we have shift work and people spread
out twenty four to seven throughout that it's just impossible
to get everybody together at one time. There was a
huge showing at my ceremonial swearing in last week, and
I was really honored by that. There are a lot
of police officers came. I take every opportunity I can,
(07:01):
from going to shift meetings to having staff meetings and
just individual meetings to meet people. But I haven't been
able to meet with huge groups. It's been more individual
and small group.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Always want to have a good relationship between the police
department and the community, and you've got several neighborhood programs
and things along those lines, because you know a lot
of times a kid, a young child out there, I think,
who Beouma police are any police officer, they're bad. They
may have taken big brother, they may have taken Daddy
away in handcuffs, and that's something you want to develop
(07:38):
into our youngsters. You're there for them exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
We just had a couple of weeks ago at Magnolia
Park what we call Cops and Kids in the Park.
Chief Singletary implemented this program and it's been very successful
because we get down at a neighborhood level of police
center action with the kids and it gives us a
chance through whether it's snow cones or tug a war
(08:05):
or throwing the frisbee, playing football, whatever, drawing chalk drawings
on the sidewalk. It's just a great opportunity to interact
and show the police and the kids positive interaction. We
do the same with schools, whether it's reading or having people,
(08:27):
even with the Explorer program have a chance to see
behind the scenes.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Jeef tim auktin Check, thank you so much for stopping
buying this week's program. Don't be a stranger, and just
anytime you have something you want to get out in
the world, just give us a call and we'll get
that message across. And again, congratulations, great hiring for the
wbat Police Department. I love the fact I hired from
within and I really respect it and looking forward to
(08:56):
work with you. Well.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Thank you very much for having me on your show.
And on this week's Talking Southeast Texas, Tim Oxtacheck, the
new chief of police in Beaumont, joins us. Did I
say that right?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yes, sir tim oknascheck all right.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
First off, at what age did you decide you wanted
to get in law enforcement?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Seventeen?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
And what made you that make that decision?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, I had a recruiter from the Mesquite Police Department
come up to my high school and encouraged people to
apply in that and talked about a little bit about
what the police did and what the Mesquite Police Department did,
and I just wanted to get involved in that type
(00:40):
of work.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Your first day on the job as a rookie officer,
what do you remember most about that?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Well, my first day on the job was really about
thirty nine years ago.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Yeah, and so.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Not a whole lot. Just the thing that sticks out
in my mind most is just using the radio, being
able to talk on the radio while he had all
kinds of other things going on. I don't even remember
the first call I made.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Hi'd you up in Southeast Texas? I'm a kid from
the Metroplex up there at Mosquite. How'd you end up
in hot, humid Southeast Texas well.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I actually was too young to be a civilian police officer,
so I looked around at the military services, and who
could provide me a guaranteed job and a law enforcement
duty that would prep me for civilian police force and
maybe give me a little school and a little experience.
(01:44):
I felt that would stand me in good stead. So
I started out in the military and ended up getting
the reserve force at the Live Oak Police Department outside
San Antonio. My wife worked for a Red Lobster at
the time, and one of her friends came through Beaumont
and I think it was ninety one and going to
(02:11):
the boats over in Louisiana, and we had a billboard
up at the time right here in Beaumont that was
advertising jobs, and so I applied and got hired.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
You work your ways up the ranks, yes, here Beaumont PD.
From a street officer all the way up. You were
head of emergency management prior to become a chief police.
How did this prepare you for this job? Working a
way up to scale the way you have.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Well, it gives you the insights into how the department works,
the people that you're working with. It's not a small department,
so getting to know the staff and the employees, both
large civilian and sworn staffs, is not easy. Getting to
know the land, the locations, the community itself. Because working
(03:06):
here both at midnight's work in extra employment, sometimes with
bid or other organizations, you get to know a lot
of people in different perspectives. And then with emergency management
it was yet another perspective and it exposed me heavily
to the community in a lot of different aspects. And
having been here for almost thirty three years, it's given
(03:29):
me a chance to see even some of the parents
and the kids.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Visiting with the Beaumont Chief Police Tim oxtencheck Hie is
not new to the Beaumont Police Department more than three decades.
What if any advice that I'll go in, Chief Police
Jimmy SINGLETONY give you.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Well, we definitely were set in good stead when it
comes to the community involvement, and that's one thing that
we want to continue is being very integrated with the
community as a whole in developing partnerships. That's the biggest thing.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
You've got great officers in this apartment, whether they've been
on a forest, whether they're a rookie. I've got a
lot of veterans on a police department talk about recruiting
new officers, and I know you're always looking for new officers.
What's it going to take to get some good officers
at the police department? Here some additional good officers, I
should say, Well.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
We are always looking for people, and I think what
I do is challenge citizens to help us recruit. We
challenge our officers to help recruit.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
A lot of.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Times that face point to point is the best recruiting source.
We use billboards and everything else, but bottom line is
we can get a person on the street faster if
they're a lateral transfer that they've already been through the academy,
they've already been trained at another department. So we're looking
(04:59):
at the the departments. The city and the union got
a very good contract a couple of years ago that
has made the pay at Belmont Police Department commensurate with
other agencies, especially local agencies, and that helps it provides
for lateral transfers. And then the city has recently discussed
(05:22):
a budget proposal that would be potentially implemented October first,
with an incentive to encourage people to live here and
to move here.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Modern technology, we were recently introduced to the Real Time
Crime Center. Talk about this this new technology, and it's
really paid off already in getting some bad guys off
the streets.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
It sure has. There's not enough police to stand on
every corner or be at every location all at the
same time. So we're being able to leverage technology and
connect with infrastructure that already exists. A lot of people
have cameras at their homes, their businesses. The technology can
(06:10):
be integrated so you don't have to have a whole
bunch of different people monitoring different siloed approached technologies, and
so this gives us with a small amount of people
of ability to really expand our views.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Now, your message to the police force when he became chief?
Did you address him as a group? Are kind of
like an individually What was your message once you became
chief to all the officers in the department.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Well, the way we have shift work and people spread
out twenty four to seven throughout that it's just impossible
to get everybody together at one time. There was a
huge showing at my ceremonial swearing in last week, and
I was really honored by that. There are a lot
of police officers came. I take every opportunity I can,
(07:01):
from going to shift meetings to having staff meetings and
just individual meetings to meet people. But I haven't been
able to meet with huge groups. It's been more individual
and small group.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Always want to have a good relationship between the police
department and the community, and you've got several neighborhood programs
and things along those lines, because you know a lot
of times a kid, a young child out there, I think,
who Beouma police are any police officer, they're bad. They
may have taken big brother, they may have taken Daddy
away in handcuffs, and that's something you want to develop
(07:38):
into our youngsters. You're there for them exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
We just had a couple of weeks ago at Magnolia
Park what we call Cops and Kids in the Park.
Chief Singletary implemented this program and it's been very successful
because we get down at a neighborhood level of police
center action with the kids and it gives us a
chance through whether it's snow cones or tug a war
(08:05):
or throwing the frisbee, playing football, whatever, drawing chalk drawings
on the sidewalk. It's just a great opportunity to interact
and show the police and the kids positive interaction. We
do the same with schools, whether it's reading or having people,
(08:27):
even with the Explorer program have a chance to see
behind the scenes.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Jeef tim auktin Check, thank you so much for stopping
buying this week's program. Don't be a stranger, and just
anytime you have something you want to get out in
the world, just give us a call and we'll get
that message across. And again, congratulations, great hiring for the
wbat Police Department. I love the fact I hired from
within and I really respect it and looking forward to
(08:56):
work with you. Well.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Thank you very much for having me on your show.
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