[rw4site]

This is one damn fine man. I only met him once, dammit!

This is the kind of guy you hear about in discussions with your friends and he is well respected.

[ricer1]

Cool... I wish more of that type made it to retirement... My grandfather was a JP, and some of the stories he would tell... geez (and he was just a JP!!).

[RobbyS]

How about that.

[Coop]

I'm sure he's a fine man, but he's not very good at math.

"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. :-)

[Phantom Lord]

This is one damn fine man. I only met him once, dammit!

Did he put the cuffs on you to tight, or did he leave them comfortable?

[meandog]

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."....

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?

[Warren]

Sure, we all know his REAL job is to oppress minorities, trample on the civil rights of the
downtrodden & confiscate thier meager holdings for the rich.
There! Can I get a job with the New York Times now?

[nothingnew]

I have much respect for the job he's done but wonder about this:

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

[nightowl]

I'm afraid I have never heard of him, but thanks for posting this. I live about 60 miles from Tyler, Tx.