Page 6 - TPA Journal July August 2023

From the President

Ben Urbanczyk President

Ben Urbanczyk
Assistant Chief, Highway Patrol
Texas Department of Public Safety
TPA President 2023 - 2024

Agencies across Texas, and the nation, are faced with recruiting challenges like never before. In my
position as Assistant Chief of the Texas Highway Patrol, our team is constantly looking for ways to showcase
what our profession offers to the younger generation of potential applicants. Command staff must turn to
younger officers to actively lead their department with the power to make suggestions and implement them.
Critical police staffing and recruiting issues affect agencies of all sizes, so we must coordinate to improve
recruitment.

What about retention? Losing officers to early retirement or simply leaving the profession is more than just
a number. It means that we are struggling even to keep the officers we have. Officers that stay with their
departments are often rewarded with long hours and poor life balance. More and more agencies require
that their officers remain physically fit, but they often struggle to find the time to exercise or the luxury of
a proper diet. Adding to the stress is a general public that expects calls for service to be answered in a
reasonable amount of time. Officers’ families, more often than not, are also profoundly affected.

As the Texas Police Association, we must continue collaborating as agencies across the State of Texas to
improve recruiting and, more importantly, keep the officers we have. Our website states, “TPA’s vision is
to become the leading authority in the professional development of officers and agencies to serve their
communities with distinction.”

My vision for our March 5-7, 2024 TPA Annual Training Conference that will be held at the Sheraton
Austin/Georgetown Conference Center in Georgetown, Texas, is to focus on three major topics.

#1 Mental Health experts to provide insight into ways to identify and address the mental well-being of our
officers.

#2 Physical health experts to help agencies set fitness testing guidelines and, more importantly, encourage
officers to follow a common sense diet and fitness plan. Police officers die at an alarmingly lower age than
the general public, and TPA will provide the medical data showing why and how best to catch it before
tragedy hits.
#3 Family wellness is often neglected. What can agencies do to ensure that families receive the support
they need and identify ways to help the one they love.

In closing, I want to say how proud I am to serve as the 2023-2024 President of the Texas Police
Association. Your friendship, guidance, and collaboration have indeed been an inspiration to me. I have
complete confidence that just as our founding members in 1895, we will continue to be dedicated to
improving the police profession.

2 www.texaspoliceassociation.com • (512) 458-3140 Texas Police Journal