Thursday, September 11, 2008

Allen Police Chief Bill Rushing is a self-made man

By Minnie Payne

Allen Police Chief Bill Rushing

ALLEN — Allen Police Chief Bill Rushing, 55, didn’t graduate from high school, but he didn’t let that stop him from succeeding.

“I attended Sunset High School in Oak Cliff, but didn’t graduate,” he said. “I went into the Army in 1970 and got my GED around 1973.”

Rushing was born in Crockett, Texas, but moved to Oak Cliff when he was 10 years old. After serving seven years in the Army, he settled in El Paso where he accepted a position as a police officer in 1977 with the El Paso Sheriff’s Office.

“After serving in Vietnam, I wanted to do something worthwhile with my life and help the public, so I decided to go into police work,” he said.

He earned an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Odessa College in 1983. Through a correspondence course from Kennedy-Western University, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 1992. In 1993, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. He graduated from the FBI National Academy in 1994.

In 1979, Rushing moved to Odessa where he accepted a position as corporal patrol for the K-9 Unit with the Odessa Police Department. His promotions included sergeant, IAD, CID, K-9, Helicopter Section, Patrol; captain, Internal Affairs; and deputy chief, Patrol Service Bureau.

“I had a family while working for the Odessa Police Department and going to school,” he said. “Back then I was making less than $400 a month, so I had to work extra jobs as my wife stayed home with the children.

“But I was on the GI Bill and got paid $500, tax free, for going to school which helped.”

Rushing said that because of the struggles he had in supporting a family and going to school at the same time, it has helped him be more understanding of the young police officers coming in.

“I think that if you work hard enough you can have a family, get an education, and work toward a career goal, as I have done,” he said. “I accomplished those things as a service to people and a service to family.”

Rushing left Odessa and accepted a job as chief of the Wylie Police Department in 1995, remaining there until 1997. He became police chief for the city of Allen in 1997.

The Allen Police Department staff consists of 108 sworn officers and 48 civilians. Sworn officers with master’s degrees number four, and there are 20 sworn officers with Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor or Science degrees.

Rushing said that he most enjoys helping young officers with their career development, because they’re the leaders of tomorrow. He also enjoys the interaction and team spirit of the community in working with the police department.

Tragedy is something a police officer can’t escape, he said.

“Any time you see children hurt because there is no family structure or when people are victimized, it hurts,” he said. “Officers have a hard time dealing with that part of the job.

“You get your rewards when you know that you are able to help them.

Lieutenant Kim Sylvester has worked with Rushing for eight years and said that he is a true visionary leader of their department and community.

“He places high emphasis on the career development of his employees, while also having a personal side of him that cares greatly for employees and their families,” she said.

Related stories

• Pegasus News Week in View: Aaagh-Ike! edition (Sept. 11, 2008)

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• Citizen Profiles
• Politics and Government > City Government > Allen
• Pegasus News Exclusive