Remembering the beginning.

In 1988, I was living in Colorado Springs on the West side, in Old Colorado City. I had started my own business, and was painting apartments. I had 5 properties, and was doing pretty well for that time. I averaged 4 hours a day, 4 days a week, and generally made about 3k a month. In 1988, THAT was good money!

I was married to my first wife, Polly, and I really have nothing negative to say about our relationship, or her. We were young, stupid, and both just wild as hell. We were both pretty big party people, and really embraced the bar life and all of the "extras" that come with it. We were old high school potheads, and ran with that crowd.

That year, during a drunken argument, Polly and I were involved in a car crash due to the argument. It truly scared me, because I can still vividly see Polly laying in the floorboard of my car, unconscious, shaking, and gurgling as she gasped for air. I was convinced that she was dying.

When the police showed up, I was so distraught and out of my head, they took me into custody and charged me with DUI. Now many of you know from either knowing me, or from my blogs, my life from the time I could walk, until this day, was full of wild, crazy, uninhibited adventure and chaos. I had been to jail a couple of times, had my share of tickets, probation, community service, court appearances... I was on a "path" that I dont think I need to line out much here.

I swore on that night, I would manage what I was charged with, but my life was going to change...I was 22 years old and knew I had to do life differently if I wanted to be a productive citizen, live a life of freedom, and stay out of jail.

Now remember, this was a completely different time. There was no internet, no cell phones, shit, pagers weren't even invented yet, and if you were going to talk on the phone and walk through your house, you better have a 30ft cord to reach where you were walking. It truly was a different era than what we know today, and really, thinking about it, its a little overwhelming to think how different it was.

As a result of this arrest, I was going to have to do a little jail time to answer for it. Luckily, because I had my own business, the judge ordered me to do 2 months at COMCOR on North Nevada. This is a work release program that allows one to leave the facility during work hours, but must return for the night to do your time.

Let me describe this a little...

COMCOR was a small, hotel/motel, one level, rooms lined up in a "U" shape and in the room there were 4 bunks and one bathroom. So, I was living in a hotel room with 7 other guys that were also criminals...Some doing little bits like me, some coming back from doing REAL time, and this was their halfway house. Now I wont say this was "horrible" but I do remember several nights, waking up with my roommates doing meth on a table and smoking joints at the door and thinking

"Jesus, is this where I am going?"

And I decided that I was going to make a huge shift in my life. I had no idea what that would look like, but I was completely aware that if I didn't change shit in my life, I would be in prison soon and stuck in that rut for my life. I was fully aware of where this path was leading me.

So, after COMCOR, I focused on my business, but I was still struggling with the "crowd" that I had come to know and love (so many of them no longer here), and none of them had any desire to shift their lives. I knew I was going to have to do something drastic.

I had family in Texas, was born in Texas, and had some resources in Texas to fall back on should I need, and then Polly and I decided we would pull up roots, and leave Colorado to go start over in Texas.. Let me tell you, this was much better in thought and theory than it was in reality.

I had high expectations that leaving a town of about 100k to go to a place with 4million people in it, my business would blossom, and I would do well in Texas. How naive I was.

When I got there, I tried to get my paining business going, but found the Hispanic community of that area had the market sealed up, AND were doing the work for pennies compared to what I was charging (and I was very reasonable). I could NOT launch this business.

So, I went back to what I knew. I started working at a carwash again, quickly moved into management, and was bouncing at night clubs in Clear Lake. I had given up alcohol and was not drinking, but the life that Polly and I had lived was pulling...Pulling hard...

I was so lost....I was doing everything I could to make money and survive in Houston, but I knew I needed some kind of a profession. I considered shrimping, working on freight-liners, off shore oil fields, trucking....But NOTHING seemed to pull at me to pursue. There was nothing I could find that seemed to offer me value, reward, or excitement.

While bouncing clubs, I was able to meet some Harris County Deputies and we became friends. We had some throw downs in the clubs together, some good bar brawls, we always won, and the Deputies grew to like me and we became friends.

One of the Deputies, David Martin, he was one hell of a beast man. His past was in VietNam and I dont think I even want to go into the stories here that he would tell me. But let me just say this....He was an "ear collector" for a time while serving... He was a warrior man, and his stories of recon missions, his hand to hand encounters with the enemy, man, I was always just amazed at what he had seen and experienced.

David and I grew to really like each other. We were like brothers. We always picked at each other, and God Forbid, either of us caught the other one in a dark place, out of view of others....We were brutal and would just beat the shit out of each other, hide and ambush one another, tackle and slam each other, every chance we got.

I am not sure if there is still a Dennys on Nasa Rd 1, but one night, after a night of drinks, we found ourselves alone in the bathroom of that place. Man, we absolutely destroyed that bathroom. We threw each other into stalls and sinks and before we were done, we had loosened the sink, broken two stall walls, ripped the paper dispenser off the wall, then walked out of the restaurant, laughing and getting away as soon as we could. We had a great time beating the shit out of each other.

One day, David said

"Brad, you should come ride with me, you should go to the academy and be a cop"

"Fuck you David, I hate cops"

"Look Brad, just come ride with me and see, if you dont like it, no loss, if you do, I will help you get started"

So I did....I went and rode with him.

The first time I was ever in the FRONT SEAT of a patrol car, I was with David, and we were covering back up as a marked unit for undercover narcotics in Barrett Station. At that time, this place was primarily a black community, RIDDLED with crime and drugs. It was a HOT SPOT for wild shit.

After that first day of rushing buildings, backing up the "jump out boys" and seeing the pace and energy of that field, I KNEW this was for me....I knew this was where I belonged, I KNEW that this was my calling...So, I rode with him a lot, learned as much as I could, soaked in the experience.

Now again, this was a different era than what we see now in Law Enforcement. This was an era where cops could actually BE cops and GO GET the bad guy...and of course, it was TEXAS!

These were times where the common firearm was a wheel gun and automatics were seen as unreliable and dangerous (Of course, David carried a 1911), cops wore sap gloves (Gloves with knuckles filled with powdered lead) Slappers (a piece of leather that is basically a 10"long leather strap, sewn together with another one, and at the end was a heavy lead ball that you would "slap" smart ass dickheads with). Really, the ONLY people that didn't respect police, or had a fear of police, were criminals...And they should be scared...Because in those days, we were ENCOURAGED to GO GET the bad guy, and do so with extreme prejudice.

There were no tools of the job like cops have now. We had a radio (That rarely worked), our pistol, a couple of extra magazines or speed loaders for wheel guns, a couple sets of handcuffs, and an SL-20 flashlight (Just typing that makes me all warm and fuzzy). Cops were trained with batons, but we rarely carried them. We, in that era, were trained to hit first, hit hardest, hit last, and go home safe by ANY means necessary...

Our command staff generally supported us and defended us to the teeth... Of course, there are dicks in every profession, but overall, the "Brotherhood" of Law Enforcement was something EVERY person in uniform valued with the highest regard.

We made ourselves available to families of LE that had struggles, we were present for fellow officers children's births, birthdays, weddings, funerals, hard times, good times.... We were a "TEAM" and it didn't matter what agency it was, ANY ONE of us would have given our life for any other one of us.

So, after getting this taste, I decided to go to the Academy.

I had a pretty shady past, I had been in my share of trouble, but in those days, it was pretty easy to change your latitude with your attitude and start fresh, new beginnings, new paths....It wasn't so easy to find stuff from peoples past. So, that is what I did...

I never spoke about my hardships in Colorado, my partying, my crazy-ness....Colorado was just a place I came from....It had no weight on me to move forward.... I left it in Colorado!

I started the academy in 1991 at the College of the Mainland. I struggled a little at first with the PT and the "learning" because before then, I was not a good student at all.

I thrived in this environment. I pushed myself, I soaked in all my instructors (many still friends) knowledge, and made it my passion and desire to be a top notch cop!

I graduated in high ranks of my class, I was in the 100% club of my firearms training, In my practical applications, I always came out learning a lesson and I was just ENGAGED with the whole process of this profession.

Sadly, Polly was not as excited about this adventure, and we weren't really great to each other prior to the Academy, but during and after, it just got worse. Polly wasn't ready for the shift of lifestyle it would take to live this life, and really, we had done so much damage to each other emotionally, it was going to end eventually anyway.

After the academy, I started looking for jobs, but had a hell of a time. In those days, applications were 30+ pages long, they asked very personal questions, some agencies would talk to your exes, your high school teachers and your neighbors in the recruiting process. There were so many applicants for jobs, ONE mistake, misspelled word, or wrong date of anything on an application sent it to the trash... The picking were pretty good for most agencies, so they picked exactly what they wanted.

I was putting in applications, getting interviews and had started working as an EMT for the Crystal Beach Volunteer Fire Department to get on scenes and get to know people in the field, PLUS, chaos, tragedy, blood, guts and destruction were things I just loved....I wish I could put into words what it feels like to be the first command person to walk on a scene that many would think was the end of life as they know it...And for many, IS.

I started to get to know some of the Galveston County Deputies and in January of 1992, I put in to go to work for the Galveston County Sheriffs Office. This department was always a "bottom of the list" department, because you had to work in the jail before you could go out on the streets...You had to earn, and prove you could handle yourself. But we ALL wanted to get out on the streets!!

I was called, not long after that, by Betty Fry who was the person to hire deputies at that time, and offered an interview. I went, sat with her as well as a couple of legends, Captain Mike Henson and Lt Steve Bock to interview. Lt Bock was always so gruff, harsh, outspoken, gave ZERO fucks about anyone's opinions of him. Cpt Henson was a bulldog. He was stern, strong, unwavering, but you could feel the warmth of this mans heart from a mile away... I still, to this day, have HUGE respect for all three of those people, and still chat with Betty from time to time, and keep up with Mike as he is aging....Lt Bock and I became pretty good friends, and we chatted fairly regularly up to the day he passed.

Man, I could just go on and on about the people I worked with at that department and my admiration for them, and the agency, but this week, the focus is on our leader. A LEGEND in Galveston County, the man who offered me the very first steps of a life away from the vortex, spinning me towards terrible things, the man who ran the GCSO for most of my career there....

Sheriff Joe Max Taylor.

Now, I never really "Met" Joe Max early on....I was never sure he even knew who I was.

In my day, at the back of the Department was a door that led into a coffee room and then out to the Admin offices of the SO. This room was always pretty active. Galveston County LEGENDS would sit in there, drink coffee, eat donuts and just BS about current affairs or past times of individual experiences.

Man, I would sit in that room like a kid in a barber shop sucking on his lollipop, just listening to these men talk. As I reflect, I am overwhelmed with the honor of being in those men's presence and being able to hear about Galveston County and "cop" stuff.

Joe Max was never far from that room, and the present Sheriff, Henry Trochessette was just a Sgt then over fleet and uniforms. He was always a smiling, uplifting guy and was always so friendly and kind. I would eventually grow to really appreciate this man, as well as his family, and can say, I have stood toe to toe in times of very scary, and possible great harm with he, as well as his Brothers. His Brother Chris and I were close and even partners in the jail and on the streets... Great men!!

One day, I was in the coffee room, a little later in the day, and was waiting on Henry to come get me to go get uniforms. I was pretty new at this time, maybe just a month or two into my time with  the department.

As I sat there, the back door opened, and in walked the Sheriff. He walked up to the coffee pot, got a cup, turned and said "How ya doing Brad?"

I was amazed that the Sheriff even knew my name!

He sat down with me, and we started to chat about things, my desires with the department, what I hoped to accomplish, talked about my dad, my time with EMS, my mom, just "chatted".. From that moment on, there wasn't a soul that could say a bad word about Joe Max and not hear words from me to shut their pie hole... My loyalty and commitment to the Department and to him was sealed, with just that few minutes he gave me that day.

So, I started in the jail, earned my "stripes" in regards to my ability to handle myself, made a reputation for myself (some didn't appreciate that reputation...lol), met Donna there, fell in love with her, and learned SOOOOO MUCH about life that I was SOOOOOO naive about.

The jail, seen as a burden and a hindrance to most of us, was better than any University in the world. I learned what "danger" and "violence" REALLY looked like, I witnessed serial killers, cop killers, murderers, rapists....I was "in the mud" with the underbelly of the world, every day, with all of the BS that comes with living in that arena, everyday. I learned what "fighting" really meant, and those bar fights, and keg party fights I had experienced prior to my time being a cop, were childsplay when fighting in this world. I was injured early on in my career, fighting an inmate in a room with no ability to call for help and as a result, broke 3 ribs. JD Sprague was the one that came to my rescue that day, and from that day on, my mentality and understanding of what it takes to survive, SHIFTED.

Im sure people will read this and state their experience was different, but for me, this department and Joe Max taught me that our job is to WIN and to get home safe, no matter what. Joe Max had no sympathy for criminals that were out to do us harm, so we were blessed to have "freedoms" to make sure we did get home, AND that we caught the bad guy. Joe Max always stood by me, even when there were times I had to face consequences or investigations questioning my efforts to meet that goal to get home. He surrounded himself with a command staff that was birthed, and supported an "old school" mentality of police work.

I could do an entire blog on those amazing men and women that showed me how to be a "good cop"...The list is long, and many, may they Rest in Peace, are no longer here...But in my mind, heart and soul, they still are alive and well. I am forever blessed to have had these men surrounding me and guiding me.

I quickly earned a reputation of a pretty forward, and aggressive cop. I had very few fears of the job, and looked at every "close call" as a blessing, and exciting thing. Not one incident turned me from LE, but every incident pushed me even more towards BEING an "old school" cop. We didn't snitch on each other, we had each others backs (even if we really didn't like each other), we chased the bad guys, we earned respect on the streets, and we showed our communities that the Green and White colors were the ONLY colors that didn't run in Galveston County. The turds feared us, the communities loved us (for the most part) and our leader, Joe Max Taylor was respected by so many, to include many of the dirtbags. Criminals KNEW that we would get them, they KNEW that if we were hunting you, we WOULD catch you...And we did!

Now, I wont say it was all puppy-dogs and dandelions... We as deputies struggled to live on our salaries, we worked extra jobs all the time, overtime, and barely made enough money to survive....But for me, and much of the crew I ran with, we LOVED the job and we LOVED being Deputies for Joe Max and his Department. Our agency was unique in our County. We had freedoms and opportunities to advance, move around and do different jobs much more than other agencies in the County. Even our command staff in Patrol was, for the most part, "good cops" and were a "working" command force.

It was not uncommon for me to be on a traffic stop at 3am, and have Major Ray Lease (patrol commander) step out with me....It wasn't uncommon for a Sgt to take a call, do reports, write tickets. It wasn't uncommon to have Lt Lamb be out in the field at any given time, night or day, supporting us on scenes (and us supporting him...lol)

I did 2 years in the jail before finally getting out on the streets and becoming a patrolman. I started in Crystal Beach and was a rookie cop, in my mid 20's, patrolling a beach community every day. My first partner, Doug Considine was a great teacher and then to have the likes of Marty Ermis, Rick Mitchell, Bubba Tauch, and many others to guide me into how to be a street cop. I did 2 years on that beach, and then started to patrol the Mainland...I wanted to be IN THE THICK OF IT.... The beach was just so slow paced, but I saw some of the most crazy things I have ever seen working that beach. Looking back, that beach was the best place to start my journey on Patrol.

While in the jail, I met Donna. We had our ups and downs, but eventually married and have now been together for 25 years. Again, another thing that had it not been for Joe Max Taylor, I would not be who, or where I am today.

After 10 years, I started to see a change in the field. Joe Max retired, many of the men I looked at as mentors were either dead, or retiring. The field was changing... I could see this new era of LE being born, and I knew I didn't want to be a part of that...One, I saw NO VALUE in being "reactive" in this profession, and I was too ingrained in how I did the job and kept myself safe, to shift to what we see now in regards to the field. I KNEW that if I continued in the field, I would eventually be indicted, or killed, and not that I was afraid of dying, but I refused to be a victim to some dirtbag because my powers were becoming limited.

It took me probably a year before I was finally secured in my decision to leave the field and go try and make a new life...Two very close calls, the closest I had ever been to either losing my life, or taking one, had me wondering if I was hanging on too much...That and the fear of knowing NOTHING other than being a cop.

After much consideration and debate and hard choices, I resigned from the SO. I was fortunate to resign at the top of my game. I was still in the top 3 of performers and was still very much attached to chasing the bad guy, and catching him. I had a reputation as a solid Deputy that would go to war with any of my Brethren without question, I had no fear of turds or chasing and catching them, and I feel I had respect from my Brethren in regards to how I did the life of being a Cop. The "Cat and Mouse" game of this job was so addicting to me.

I left the job late 2001 and this separation was one of the hardest periods of my life. People have a hard time understanding that the world cops live in is MUCH different than the "real world" most do. We are dark humored, inappropriate, outspoken, forward, speak our minds, and generally, give zero fucks about what people think, say or do... That, with all of the tragedy, destruction and ugliness of the world we have experienced, transitioning to the PTA meetings, community events and church socials just dont seem to be enough... Me, trying to adjust back to the real world, even to this day, was, and can often be, a struggle.

Joe Max passed away and as I type this, I am preparing to travel down to Galveston to pay my respects to the man who offered me the opportunity to shift my life away from where I was going. To honor the man that provided me the opportunity to see life at its ugly core, the man who offered me the experiences that largely define who I am today.

It has only been in the last few years that I really have grown to embrace, and appreciate ALL of that. For many years, I felt the only way to separate myself from that world was to keep myself from that world...It was like I was trying to change who I was, who I am.

Now, I have come to a point in my life where I DO embrace it. I value the brotherhood, the camaraderie, the appreciation....Because let me assure you, life outside of the emergency fields is NOT the same, not in looks, tastes, feels, or experience. Regardless of keyboard warriors opinions of these fields and how we work them, it is a very profound truth that if you have not lived this life, there is NO WAY you can understand it, or appreciate it....Your BS opinions hold NO WEIGHT in what we face every day when we put that uniform and gun on.

There are very few old tradition left in Law Enforcement. The brotherhood is fading, the camaraderie is not the same, cops cant go GET the bad guys anymore, and now, the public grows more and more to be against us....And even with that, we will still gear up and go out and give our lives so you can be safe. I recently was in a conversation with someone, and a point was made...

"Are you the kind that runs to gunfire, or are you the kind that seeks refuge and safety, hiding from it? Because I will bet, most that stand on the sidelines and criticize us, they are going to be hiding when the shit drops, and we will cover you until you get there, and once you are there, we will charge towards it to stop the threat, PROUDLY"

So, all you haters, keep hating....In spite of your efforts to make us look like the villains, we will STILL make sure that we will do all we can to make sure you get to hug your kids tonight, even though it means we may not.

I hear that Joe Max passed peacefully, surrounded by those that loved him. I dont think we can ask for much more than that. I am sure his send off will be an event to behold....I am sure there will be people from all over the world that are going to be there, or at least wishing Gods Speed to this man as he transitions to whatever is next.

To me, Joe Max Taylor was the epitome of what it means to lead a force of Peace Officers effectively. He was a legend in my time, and now a legend for all time. His passing marks the end of an ERA in Galveston County Law Enforcement. His leadership paved the way for so many of us to have the lives we do. His command staff is what created the opportunities that Deputies now have in Galveston County. Because of Joe Max, there is now a leader filling that chair that was guided by his leadership and mentality to serve.

Sheriff Joe Max Taylor may be gone now, his era of Police Work is a fading memory, but his name, and legend will carry on in name and in the loyalty of those he offered careers and livelihoods for.

I can, with all honesty and confidence state, I am in the position I am now professionally, because of him. I am married to the most beautiful and amazing woman I have ever seen, because of him. I have bonds with people that go so deep, it hurts to be so far from them, because of him. I understand and appreciate loyalty, and brotherhood as I do, because of him. I am able to protect myself, my family, and those I love in a way that most cant comprehend, because of him. I am the man I am, and move through the world the way I do, in large part, especially professionally, because of him.

So, with those lessons and all of that experience, I am getting ready to pack my bags, get on a plane, fly down to Texas, celebrate the times I had, with those from that time, because of him.

In this field of Emergency Services, Cops, Firefighters and EMS, traditions, honor and respect is fading. I want to assure as long as I can, and am able, to embrace those values and traditions, make efforts to keep them alive. Part of that will be paying my respects, and honoring his life by being there with my Law Enforcement family and Brethren.

Rest in Peace Joe Max Taylor, and thank you for the opportunity to change my life, serve my communities, and have the experiences I have been so blessed to have....Good and bad....All because of YOU!

Gods Speed...