On the recordJanuary 7, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I rise on this first day of our 2014 session to pay tribute to a husband, a father, a son, and a San Antonian. Bobby Deckard was a San Antonio police officer who died on Friday, December 20. He had come in on his day off to substitute for a colleague. He was shot in the line of duty. He was only 31 years of age. This past Saturday, San Antonio and its citizens came together to honor Bobby's life and bid him a final farewell. Thousands of people lined the streets, and thousands of police officers from throughout the country were present as police helicopters flew in formation above the burial service, in remembrance of someone who spent 7 years of his life helping the citizens of San Antonio. During the ceremony, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus instructed police dispatchers to retire Bobby's badge number, 0582, and every officer throughout the city heard the retirement of that badge number. In a November email, ironically, Bobby Deckard had aspired to join the honor guard, the honor guard that, in fact, escorted his flag- draped coffin. In an email to his supervisor, he wrote that was the highest position of honor inside the department. That tells us so much about him, so much about him even as we mourn his loss. He had a positive outlook and a great personality. His humor could win anybody over. Mr.…





