Collin County Deputies Association elects new president

Mike Rumfield's first action as President of the Collin County Deputies Association on Nov. 20 was to establish a Christmas budget for sponsoring a family of seven he befriended on a call over the summer.

The parents, Rumfield said, had been arguing over how to clothe their children for the upcoming first day of school.

In addition to the unanimous vote electing him to the new position, the board also voted to allocate $2,000 to give the family a Christmas morning they've never had.

It's acts like this that Rumfield hopes the association can take part in throughout the year, and that the community will take notice on.

"The only kind of contact the public usually has with us is on the side of the road, they don't know who we are," he said. "I want them to know what we're about."

Rumfield takes the place of Joe Wright, who was elected Precinct 4 Constable this year. After 11 years with the department, Rumfield - who served as Wright's vice president - said he also hopes to develop better working relations with county employees and elected officials.

"I learned very quickly that politicians will tell you what they want you to hear, period," Rumfield said. "The only way to get your message heard is through the public. We're trying to help the public. We want to do our part."

The association's Christmas family lives east of McKinney. Between the father's job at McDonald's and the mother currently enrolled at Collin College to get her teaching degree, it has been hard - if not impossible - to provide for their five children, ranging in age from 18 months to 12 years, Rumfield said.

With only $30 left after the bills are paid each month, Rumfield said the family would more than likely not have a Christmas at all.

"These kids, they have nothing," he said. "The only luxury they can give their kids is cable TV and they're huddled in the room watching a 19-inch TV as it is. There are seven of them sharing three mattresses."

On the day he was called out to their house, Rumfield ended up buying the children clothes from Goodwill, and also donated his stove to them in order for them to cook their meals.

Their biggest needs are clothes, food and other basic necessities, he said. However, a few luxuries during the season of giving certainly couldn't hurt, either, he said.

"They've never woken up on Christmas morning with a Christmas tree and presents. It's never happened," Rumfield said. "We have the means so why not? They deserve it, so let's do it."

Wright, who made the motion to put forth the money for the family, said he's excited about the new job but will miss the association because "it's like family."

"These guys have good hearts and they really want to give back to the community," he said. "Sheriffs deputies have been given a bad rep in the past couple of years due to politics and it hurts these guys. But they stick with the job."

In addition to enhancing the association's presence among the public, Rumfield said he hopes to enhance membership among the corrections division of the department. Accomplishing both will require clearly outlining the association's goals and disseminating information about who they are using every avenue they can, he said.

"We're not bad guys, but the community doesn't look at it that way, they think we're part of that big government and therefore we must be the bad guys," Rumfield said. "They've only been educated on one side, I want to educate the other side."

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

 Plano Apartments
 Plano Attorneys
 Plano Auto Dealers
 Plano Auto Parts
 Plano Auto Repair
 Plano Beauty Salons
 Plano Car Rental
 Plano Dentists
 Plano Doctors
 Plano Flowers
 Plano Hotels
 Plano Insurance
 Plano Loans
 Plano Mortgages
 Plano Movers
 Plano Pizza
 Plano Realtors
 Plano Restaurants
 Plano Storage
 Plano Tax Preparation
 Plano Travel
 Featured
 More...