The City of Fate is a fast-growing community that our officers and civilian staff are committed to serving and protecting. One of its officers, Lieutenant Jordan Pope aspired to be a police officer since high school. It’s what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Pope did what was needed to enter the field. He went to college and studied criminal justice. But in life, change is inevitable and we must adapt. In 2008 and prior Lieut. Pope was working in plumbing, but his life changed when a firefighter opportunity in Fate presented itself and he seized it. He then shifted his career focus to becoming the best firefighter possible.
“When I first started here, we were in a shed on the ground with holes in the roof that leaked every time it rained”, said Pope… “We’ve come a long way since then, the city is very supportive, our leadership is supportive of our growth providing us what we need, [the] equipment we need, we are very appreciative of that and the success of our operations throughout the years has been staggering.”
In 2013, Fate changed its direction to combine fire, police, and emergency medical technician services through the Department of Public Safety (DPS) model, rather than three separate departments. Lieut. Pope was pleased about this as he was able to focus once again on his dream since high school of becoming a police officer. He lives in Rockwall and has a family with a boy and a girl. Pope said that his family is very proud and supportive of him. I asked if his children played lots of firefighter and cops and robbers growing up. He grinned and nodded to the affirmative. Pope was recently promoted from detective to lieutenant in March 2022 and said that has been his most significant achievement thus far considering how long it took, and all the hard work and studying that it required.
There are 24 officers on the Fate DPS, which includes detectives, administration, and school resource officers. “Specialty skills in Fate DPS include Canine (K9) handler, detective/criminal investigative division, fire marshal, and school resource officers”, said Pope. School resource officers are responsible for providing and participating in outreach at schools. Operations officers handle day-to-day operations.
The interview on Friday included a tour of the station and a ride-a-long in the patrol vehicle. During that time, our unit posted on I-30 East service road to see whether drivers coming off the Fate Interstate Exit were yielding and whether drivers converging from the Interstate service road at the Fate off-ramp were yielding as well. Pope indicated that they’ve received complaints about drivers not yielding on service roads off of I-30. Traffic was busy during that time, considering drivers were coming home from work or they were out heading to Fresh at Brookshires. Two drivers were pulled over and Lieut. Pope explained why they were pulled over, reviewed their license and registration checked on the mobile battle terminal (MBT) or computer and then issued warnings to both. He encourages everyone to obey all laws and follow the requirements of posted traffic signs.
Officers work 12- and 24-hour shifts. Generally, the 24-hour shift is handled by someone focused on the Fire. “There is a shift change brief after every shift, letting the oncoming shift know problems that they had in the previous shift, and problems that may affect their shift in some way,” said Pope, “We usually go over arrests, who was arrested and what they were arrested for, fire incidents, wrecks and stuff of that nature.” There are typically five officers on duty each shift, including the shift supervisor, plus an officer focusing on the fire aspect of the operation.
Officers are required to maintain training requirements throughout the year. Their outside training includes a minimum 20-hours yearly in Police operations, 72-hours training every four years emergency medical technician skills, and 20-hours training yearly of firefighter skills. “That is outside training and doesn’t include the numerous hours of training required by our department”, said Pope, “Outside training can be performed at community colleges, Police academies and Fire academies or online.”
Fate DPS works closely with Rockwall Police, Royse City Police, and Rockwall County Sheriff’s department. All dispatches are received through Rockwall Police dispatch center. All court work is handled through Rockwall County. Pope said that they also work with the ATF, DEA and FBI when appropriate. “As far as drug trafficking we deal with that on a daily basis … the smuggling of people I would say we deal with that on a monthly basis.”
During the ride-a-long, Pope checked with his fellow officers, checked incoming dispatches, posted for traffic enforcement, and patrolled both sides of Fate off I-30. Pope encouraged everyone to get involved with the community, whether that is participating in a neighborhood watch group or neighborhood improvement committee; volunteering at a neighborhood school or youth organization; staying informed and getting involved in community issues; being observant, caring and a considerate neighbor; becoming active in other organizations, or volunteering with the DPS.
The highlight of the night, is when dispatch called in a cow loose on the north side of fate in the agricultural area. The sun had already started to set. Apparently, Elsie the cow got loose because of a downed fence. I was excited about the thought of helping Elsie get to the other side of the road and then mend the broken fence. We traveled through the north side of town where the fields are widespread and the air seems cleaner. Driving on and off 552 and through gravel roads, it was nice seeing Fate countryside. It reminded me of why we moved to Fate to begin with. Well, not all dreams come true, we never spotted Elsie or mended any fences.
“No one is compelled to choose the profession of a police officer; but having chosen it, everyone is obligated to perform its duties and live up to the high standards of its requirements”, said President Calvin Coolidge. Though that quote was from a long time ago, I would say those standards apply tri-fold for Fate DPS officers.