Monday's Internet Edition, October 06, 2008.
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| Charles Harber becomes Kempner's first police chief. The city elected to form a police force, rather than keeping a marshal's office, to take advantage of state grants. |
News editor -
Kempner has a new department with a familiar face.
As of May 25, Kempner will actually have a police force, with Charles Harber as the first police chief.
Harber had previously been in the Kempner area as a deputy marshal until Kempner decided to dissolve that department for a police department.
This change will allow for the city to apply for different grants that otherwise would not be available to them.
“The City found that it would better benefit switching over from a marshal’s office to a police force because it would open up a lot of opportunities for us to apply for grants we otherwise could not get as a marshal’s office.” Harber said.
At the time, Harber is the only person on payroll with the city for the police force. Harber said he hopes to get enough volunteer patrol officers until the city can form a budget for the police force.
“Right now I am operating on the leftover budget from the marshal’s department,” Harber said. “Right now all we can do is have a reserve officer program until the next fiscal year.”
Through the officer reserve system, Kempner will provide the materials needed to serve on the force, but it will still be a volunteer basis such as the fire department.
“We are looking for volunteers for the reserve officer program,” Harber said. “We just remind citizens that they have to already be certified as a peace officer for the state of Texas.”
Harber, who had been with the marshal’s office for about a year, is no stranger to the area.
A 1983 graduate of Copperas Cove High School, Harber said he was a military brat growing up.
After graduation, Harber was a reserve police officer for Copperas Cove. After that he worked in corrections with the state of Texas. He then joined the military where he spent time as a Military Police Officer.
Now married with two children, Harber said he likes the Kempner area because it allows him to get to know the citizens who reside there.
“I almost gave up on law enforcement,” Harber said. “But I had been friends with the past marshal, and he told me he really could use me.”
“After I joined, I found that I liked it here because we weren’t as rushed to get to the next case as in other larger areas.”
With only Harber on staff with the Kempner Police Department, Harber said he will receive support from the Lampasas Sheriff’s Department until they can build a stronger police force.
“Its very different to take over a department that has already been established than to take over a new department that needs everything to be established,” Harber said. “It’s not going to be easy, but it’s a task that I can handle.”
Currently, the main focus of the new department is to switch over paperwork from state marshal policies to the new police ways.
With two fully equipped squad cars, Harber said that there will be a police presence in Kempner.
“You will see me out there patrolling the area,” Harber said. “Just because I have the title of police chief doesn’t mean I’m going to be in the office all day.”
“I’ll be out there and if I have to, I will be out there writing tickets.”
Harber said that while he doesn’t like having to write citations out to people, he will do his job by the book.
“I want people to remember that Kempner is a city,” Harber said. “We have ordinances and we have rules. With the Fourth of July fact approaching, I want our citizens to know that, yes, they will get a ticket for lighting fireworks within city limits.”
Harber also has a warning for those who speed through the area.
“I am not a big believer in the warning system,” Harber said. “If you are speeding, you will get a citation.”