Vance Hill of Brownwood recently announced his candidacy for Brown County Sheriff and released the following information regarding his qualifications to serve as sheriff.
I, Vance Hill, am announcing that I will be seeking the Republican Party’s nomination for the office of Brown County Sheriff. The following is an effort to introduce myself to the citizens of Brown County and highlight the most important events in my life and career.
I was born in Brownwood in 1965 and graduated from Brownwood High School in 1984. After graduating the police academy, I began my law enforcement career; this October will be the start of my 29th year in this profession. The last 25 of which have been for the citizens of Brown County including my four years with the Brownwood Police Department. I have been employed by Brown County for the past 21 years by three different law enforcement entities.
In October 1986, I was hired by the Gatesville Police Department as a patrolman. After two years, I was promoted to operations sergeant where I supervised the patrol division and communications officers.In June 1990, I was hired by the Brownwood Police Department, then Chief Joe Robbins. I was assigned to the patrol division. After about a year, I was promoted to detective, and I remained in that position for the duration of my employment. I was responsible for investigating all types and classifications of criminal offenses.
In 1994, I was hired by then Brown County Sheriff Bill Donahoo and Chief Deputy Glen Smith and was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division at the inception of my employment. While still employed by the sheriff’s department in 1995, I was assigned to the West Central Texas Interlocal Crime Task Force as a special agent. My primary job was working undercover in the 15 county impact area, including Brown County. The main focus was narcotics investigations and other high-level crimes.
In 1997, I was hired by Brown County District Attorney Lee Haney as Investigator where I specialized in white collar crimes and case preparation for court. Under DA Sky Sudderth, I was assigned to do the office intake which consisted of preparation of indictments for grand jury, complaints for the issuance of arrest warrants, and the preparation of search warrants. It was my responsibility to insure each case met the elements of the offense charged. Under DA Michael Murray, I performed the same job duties, with the added responsibility as the office administrator. Another responsibility was to assist law enforcement agencies at major crime scenes for guidance, evidence collection, and technical issues.
While at the district attorney’s office, I received specialized training in fingerprint identification. I am certified as an expert witness and have testified many times as to the identification of persons based upon their prints.
In the history of the district attorney, there have only been three DA investigators. Sheriff Donahoo was the first, I was the third, and the position was filled by an attorney when I resigned.
In June 2010, I was hired by Brown County Sheriff Bobby Grubbs where I started in the patrol division working all shifts. In December 2010, I was promoted to the Criminal Investigation Division, and in December 2013, I was promoted to Sergeant in charge of that division. I supervised other investigators while maintaining a case load of my own. In December 2014, I was promoted to Captain with the responsibilities of day to day operation of the department and the training of personnel, which I believe to be the most important duty. Additionally, I have successfully managed the department’s four million dollar budget among other responsibilities.
Throughout my 29 year career, I have received specialized training in the investigations of murder, sexual assault, narcotics investigations, crimes against children, crime scene investigations, and interpretations (blood patterns and spatter) and many others.
I have received extensive training in leadership and administration techniques. I am a certified Professional Criminal Investigator by the Texas District and County Attorney’s Association. I hold a Master Peace Officers Certification with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement;
I am a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police; I am a member of the Sheriffs Association of Texas, and I am a member of The Texas Narcotics Officers Association.
I believe one of the biggest challenges facing law enforcement today is the ever changing technological advancements, both for the criminal element and investigative techniques. We must stay on top of these advancements in order to maintain our ability to investigate and prosecute offenders.
Our patrol division is highly trained in criminal interdiction. The criminal investigation division is top notch. Each investigator specializes in certain fields and has received specialized training in that field. Those fields include internet crimes against children, computer forensics, family violence, sex offenses, and property crimes to name just a few. Other agencies, including state and federal agencies, reach out to us for assistance in some of these specialized fields. There are two narcotics investigators that stay very busy. I have had a few questions from citizens, and some law enforcement, regarding the sheriff’s department conducting drug raids and arrest in the city limits of Brownwood; however, I believe we have to be aggressive in drug enforcement no matter where it occurs. Brownwood is in Brown County. A strong drug enforcement program does deter other more serious crimes. During these raids, more than drugs are confiscated; stolen property is recovered and fugitives are apprehended. The Brown County Sheriff’s Department is the only agency within 75 miles that has a tactical team. We do receive specialized training to help insure the safety of our team members, the public and even the offenders. These are just a few of the policies and procedures put in place by Sheriff Bobby Grubbs. I assure you we will continue to pursue drug offenders and predators of our children. I will continue to serve the citizens of this county with honesty, integrity, respect and courage. I am asking each one of you for your support and vote in the upcoming Republican Primary.
A few comments regarding my personal life. My parents are Dennis and Billie Hill. My father retired from the USDA pecan field station in 2007 and passed away in 2008. My mother retired from Kohler after 33 years and now runs a small business on the south side of Brownwood. I am married to Lana “Angie” Hill, and she is the love of my life and makes me complete. We have three kids; Ryan who is 22 and serving in the U.S. Air Force, Nikki, 21, works at New Horizons, Chase, 15, is a sophomore at Early High School where he is on the JV football team.
Respectfully,
Vance Hill
