Interested in Becoming a Police Officer or 911 Dispatcher?

If you are looking for employment or a new job position, the City of Corpus Christi may have something for you at the 1^st annual City of Corpus Christi Job Fair.  The Police Department invites qualified men and women to apply for a rewarding and dedicated career as a police officer or a 911 dispatcher.

On Wednesday, January 30, 2013, Corpus Christi Police Recruiter M. Goce  and 911 Coordinator Monica Corona-Hunter will at the Sunrise Mall, 5858 S. Padre Island Drive, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  The Police Department invites qualified men and women to apply for a rewarding and dedicated career as a police officer or 911 Dispatcher.

The job fair is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to bring resumes and dress for success.  For more information call (361) 826-3300.  All of the positions are posted at www.cctexasjobs.com.

Week 2 for the 71^st Corpus Christi Police Academy Session started at the Police Headquarters at 321 John Sartain Street.

John Sartain Street is named for slain Corpus Christi Police Officer, John Sartain. Officer John Sartain was shot and killed by a sniper when Officer Sartain walked out of the employee entrance to begin a patrol shift. The street was renamed from Laguna Street to John Sartain Street in memorial to the fallen officer.

The Cadets took a tour through the building to understand where certain services are housed. The Cadets visited the central uniform issue office where officers are issued or exchange uniforms and equipment. They visited the Central Records office where all the reports are processed, and they visited the property room where the evidence is stored. They learned the proper method to deliver and catalog evidence from crimes. The Cadets were also able to watch six Senior Officers promote to the rank of Lieutenant in a ceremony on the 5^th floor of the building.

The Cadets will be in a ropes course tomorrow and will soon choose the class president. The class president is responsible to provide leadership and organization to the class. The class president is responsible to distribute changes to the training schedule and special instructions from the instructors to the rest of the class.

Six Corpus Christi Police Department Senior Officers were promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in a ceremony Monday morning at the Police Headquarters building.

The six Corpus Christi Police Officers endured a battery of examinations and practical exercises to be selected for promotion to the rank of lieutenant. The rank of lieutenant in the Corpus Christi Police Department is a supervisory grade in which they are responsible for the management of officers.

The new lieutenants are, William Broyles, James Lerma, Brandi Moss, Alberto Villarreal, Mark Tuley, and Jay Clement. Lieutenant William Broyles started his law enforcement career in 1998. He was promoted to the rank of Senior Officer in 2003 and has taught written communications to the cadets in the Corpus Christi Police Academy. He spent much of his time as an advisor to the Law Enforcement Explorers Post #133 and served on the Narcotics/Vice Investigations Division since 2011.

New Lieutenant James Lerma started his career in the Nueces County Sheriff’s Department in 1994 until he was hired by the Corpus Christi Police Department in 2000. He spent 9 years on patrol and served on the SWAT team for 6 years. Lieutenant Lerma spent the past several years as a detective in the Criminal Investigation Division.

Lieutenant Brandi Moss graduated from Texas A&M Corpus Christi with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry. Lieutenant Moss started in the Corpus Christi Police Department as a Crime Scene Investigator until two and a half years later, she became a police officer on patrol. Lieutenant Moss was transferred to the Criminal Investigations Division in 2007 where she served as a detective.

Lieutenant Alberto Emilio Villarreal graduated from King High School and joined the Navy where he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Southern Watch aboard the USS Nimitz. Lieutenant Villarreal received his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M Corpus Christi in 2001. Lieutenant Villarreal was hired on the Corpus Christi Police Department in 2002 and served the majority of his tour on patrol.

Lieutenant Mark Tuley has served in the Corpus Christi Police Department for 13 years. He served on patrol and on the SWAT team.

Lieutenant Jay Clement was hired with the Corpus Christi Police Department in 2001 and spent his time assigned to the patrol division. Lieutenant Clement has been selected as “Officer of the Month” on a number of occassions and was the highest scoring officer on this current promotional process.

Corpus Christi Police Chief Floyd Simpson pinned the rank onto the new supervisors and said this was a happy time for the Police Department. Congratulations to the new lieutenants and good luck in the new assignment as a supervisor!

Contributed by Charlie Cardenas, P.E., Traffic Engineering

Chaparral Street and Schatzell Street Intersection

Monday – Friday

Schatzell Street:  From Shoreline Boulevard, Schatzell Street westbound traffic will be detoured onto Water Street.

In addition, Schatzell Street will be closed to through traffic between Water Street and Mesquite Street.  Parking will be permitted on this section of Schatzell.

Chaparral Street:  Chaparral Street will become a two-way lane between Lawrence Street and Schatzell Street where parking will be allowed on this section of the Chaparral.  Motorists are cautioned to be aware of those vehicles that are entering and exiting this section of Chaparral at the Lawrence Street intersection.

McBride Lane (Between Leopard Street and IH-37 Eastbound Frontage Road)

Monday – Friday

McBride Lane:  Beginning on Monday, January 21, 2013, the southbound traffic on McBride Lane will be closed to traffic between IH-37 frontage road and Up River Road.  Closure will be for approximately 30 day.  During this period, southbound traffic will be detoured onto southbound Navigation to IH-37.

Kostoryz Road

Saturday – Friday

Beginning on January 23, through January 28, 2013, weather permitting; city contractors will be doing road work on Kostoryz Road between South Padre Island Drive (S.P.I.D.) and Mansheim Boulevard.  During this period there will be various lane shifts and traffic will be reduced to one through lane in each direction.   Upon completion, traffic between S.P.I.D and Gollihar Road will be shifted onto the northbound lanes and be reduced to one through lane in each direction.

In addition, traffic on eastbound McArdle Road will be shifted onto the westbound lane where traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction through the Kostoryz Road intersection.

Staples Street (Williams Street to Saratoga Boulevard)

Saturday – Friday

Wooldridge Road:  Wooldridge Road traffic will be shifted onto the westbound lanes and traffic will be reduced to one through lane in each direction through the Staples Street Intersection.

Staples Street:  Contractors will shift the southbound Staples Street traffic onto the northbound lane reducing traffic to one through lane in each direction from the Moore Plaza entrance through the Williams Drive intersection.  Southbound drivers will have dedicated right and left turn lanes at Williams Drive.  Northbound drivers will have a dedicated right turn lane at Williams Drive, but no left turns will be permitted.

On Staples Street, from Wooldridge Road to north of Holly Road, there are two lanes of traffic open in each direction.  Staples Street traffic, between Cain Drive and Bonner Drive, will be shifted onto the northbound lanes and traffic reduced to one through lane in each direction.

Bonner Drive, Cain Drive, & Curtis Clark Drive:  Cain Drive, Bonner Drive, or Curtis Clark Drive may be periodically closed at the Staples Street intersection.  Motorists will be detoured onto Burton Lane.  In addition, when one street is closed, the other may be reduced to one lane with flaggers to direct traffic.  Once work is completed, each street will be closed for 10 days to pour concrete and allow the pavement to cure.

Sarazen Drive:  Contractors will permit only inbound traffic to enter Sarazen Drive from Staples Street and traffic exiting must continue north on Sarazen Drive and exit onto Wooldridge Road.

Rodd Field Road & Williams Drive

Saturday – Monday

Contractors will shift traffic onto the northbound lanes and reduce traffic to one through lane in each direction at the Rodd Field Road and Williams Drive intersection.  No left turns will continue to be enforced.

Bear Lane 

Saturday – Friday

Bear Lane will be closed from Green Point Drive to Old Brownsville Road, and closed on Navigation Boulevard from Agnes Street to Old Brownsville Road.

Airline Road

Saturday – Friday

Traffic on Airline Road is closed to traffic between Wall Street and Rodd Field Road.  In addition, eastbound traffic on Lipes Boulevard and Slough Road will be closed between Giants Drive and Rodd Field Road.   Eastbound Lipes Boulevard traffic will be detoured north onto Giants Drive, and eastbound Wall Street traffic will be detoured northbound onto Airline Road.

Staples Street, Weber Road &Doddridge Street

Saturday – Friday

City contractors will be doing road work on Staples Street between the Weber Road/Doddridge Street intersection and Barracuda Place.  As this project is ongoing, southbound traffic on this section of Staples Street will be shifted onto the northbound lane and traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction.  No left turns will be permitted onto Doddridge Street from Staples Street.

The Corpus Christi Police Departments 71st Academy Session began Monday with 25 Cadets. Although all have been measured for uniforms, not all the uniforms arrived from the vendor which left a few cadets to wear civilian clothes until the uniforms arrive.

Each applicant to the Corpus Christi Police Department completes an entrance process that includes a background check, a polygraph examination, an oral board interview, a psychological evaluation, a complete physical examination by a physician, and then a drug screen. Not all qualified applicants are accepted into the Police Academy. Most are not selected because of the limited quantity of positions approved for hire. Each Academy session has a unique quantity of cadets approved by the city of Corpus Christi based on the unique circumstances each hiring session. The 71st Police Academy Session has 25 cadets; 13 men and 12 women.

The most qualified applicants selected to be cadets begin their career in the Corpus Christi Police Academy. The Corpus Christi Police Department Training Academy is located at 4510 Corona Dr. Cadets attend classes Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. However, some nighttime and weekend functions are a part of the required curriculum. Cadets do not reside at the academy and must commute to class daily.

The Police Academy is composed of several components primarily with classroom instruction. Cadets are instructed on the policies and procedures of the Corpus Christi Police Department and how officers function on duty. Classroom instruction on, criminal, juvenile, traffic, and civil law is provided during the 29-week academy. Cadets are expected to maintain a high level of academic standards and must make a 75% or above on all academy tests. Cadets must pass each written exam and/or skills test administered to successfully complete the academy. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education (T.C.L.E.O.S.E.) Basic Peace Officer’s licensing exam must be passed in order to qualify for graduation and state licensing as a Texas Peace Officer.

A second component of the training includes firearm instruction. Cadets are trained with the standard issued police weapon at the Corpus Christi Police Department firing range and must pass department qualifications to successfully complete the academy. Cadets are also trained to use a shotgun and other law enforcement tools.

Another component of the academy is physical training. Cadets are required to maintain themselves in excellent physical condition through a strict course of running, weight lifting, and exercises designed to enhance the body’s flexibility and endurance. Cadets must pass the academy physical fitness test with an overall average of 70% to successfully complete the academy.

The cadets graduate on August 9 after successful completion of the 29 week Academy program that has equipped them with extensive education, training, and skills required to serve as Corpus Christi Police Officers.