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| By: JACQUE HILBURN, Staff Writer | May 07, 2002 |
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Posted on 05/08/2002 12:22:02 PM PDT by rw4site
| LEGENDARY LAWMAN TO RETIRE AFTER 33 YEARS |
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Troopers with the Texas Highway Patrol are saying goodbye to a man known for extremes. Heralded as a shoot-out legend among law enforcement, Tyler THP Cpl. Wayne Hellen, 58, is hanging up his hat after 33 years with the agency. "My official date of retirement will be May 31," he said. "I came here in 1959, and I've been here ever since." Described as the "best of the best" by many, Hellen is known as a lawman from the old school, a man who works off instinct and integrity. He's not John Wayne, but close. Law enforcement veterans say Hellen possesses an uncanny ability to sniff out dope suspects and catch bad guys. And he's reputed to have been in more shoot-outs than any officer in memory. But one of the trooper's most enduring achievements centers on creation of an enhanced traffic enforcement and drug interdiction task force. Since its inception in 1995, troopers involved in his unique monthly traffic enforcement operation made 325 felony fugitive arrests, confiscated more than $1 million in cash, seized 100,000 grams of cocaine and found more than 8,000 pounds of marijuana, authorities said. A humble Hellen remains low-key about his successes. "I just enjoy getting out," he said. Despite the track record, the trooper over the years refused to progress through the ranks, preferring instead to work the streets. But he didn't work alone. Over the years, the street-smart veteran groomed dozens of young troopers to follow in his footsteps. Smith County District Attorney Jack Skeen praised Hellen as a master of establishing probable cause, the foundation of strong cases. "He has shared that knowledge with the younger ones," Skeen said. "And because of his efforts, there will be troopers in Smith County and in the surrounding counties who know how to do it. He does beyond 'doing a good job.'" Visitors to Hellen's nondescript office in the Texas Department of Public Safety building might find it hard to locate evidence of this expertise. A single bulletin board stacked with photos of drug seizures tells the story of his career. When asked to share a single incident, perhaps a trademark incident to sum up his lengthy career, Hellen is at a loss for words. "There have been so many," he said. "It's hard to single out just one." Veteran law officers tell a different story ... lots of them. "They broke the mold when they made him," Skeen said. "He's truly one-of-a-kind." In the 1970s, a vicious capital murder sent lawmen scurrying about the city in search of the suspect, authorities said. Hellen eyed a possible suspect vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Unsure as to whether his hunch was correct, Hellen approached the car and asked the driver to step outside to check his license. After identifying the suspect, Hellen began walking toward the suspect's vehicle again, reports show. It was then that the driver pulled out a semi-automatic weapon, aimed at the trooper and pulled the trigger. "It jammed," Skeen said. "It didn't fire." In that split second, however, Hellen drew out his .357 revolver and fired, killing the suspect. An aggravated robbery reported in the 1990s again sent Hellen and then partner Joe Willmon in search of the suspect. They closed in on the fleeing suspect, who narrowly missed hitting a school bus head-on on Farm-to-Market Road 14, authorities said. "Trooper Hellen closed the gap and his partner fired a blast into the vehicle," Skeen said. The motorist pulled off the roadway without further risk to motorists and was arrested, the district attorney said. And there's more. In a 1995 manhunt for three fleeing capital murder suspects, Hellen again spotted the suspects and drove right-handed and fired out the window with his left hand. Skeen said the suspects were forced off the roadway and apprehended a short time later. On and on it goes, an endless round of stories with Hellen emerging as the hero. Can this man really retire? "I plan on taking a few months off and from there, I'll weigh my options," he said "I don't have any plans yet." Hellen expressed a desire to spend time with his wife of 38 years, Dianne, and his family. Agencies are lining up for a piece of the action. Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith is among those vying for a piece of the trooper with the larger-than-life reputation.
"He's a legend around here," Smith said. "He's been in more shoot-outs than anyone. Hellen doesn't have nine lives - he's got more like 24." Jacque Hilburn covers police, fire, and public safety organizations. She can be reached at 903.596.6282. e-mail: news@tylerpaper.com |
| ©Tyler Morning Telegraph 2002 |
This is the kind of guy you hear about in discussions with your friends and he is well respected.
"My official date of retirement will be May 31," he said. "I came here in 1959, and I've been here ever since."
That would mean he started at age 15-16, and his total service would have been 43 years.
Then again, he could have started very young, and it's the reporter who is poor at math. :-)
Did he put the cuffs on you to tight, or did he leave them comfortable?
Do the math. He was born in 1944, right? If he joined the force in '59, it means he joined when he was 15-years-old. Now, I know that Texans are taught to shoot and work early in life; but 15-years-old and a highway patrolman! How early are licenses issued in the lone star state, let alone child labor law certificates?
Smith County District Attorney Jack Skeen praised Hellen as a master of establishing probable cause, the foundation of strong cases.
Anybody got any thoughts on that?
FMCDH
Reminds me of another Texan, George W. Bush, outwitting the army of crooked trial lawyers unleashed by the DNC, thereby saving the country and gaining the Presidency!
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