From creation of the Lampasas County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit to staff changes, 2025 was a busy year for Sheriff David Parker.
Now entering the second year of his four-year term, Parker sat down with the Dispatch Record to reflect on his initial experience.
“All in all, it went pretty well,” Parker said on his first year in office. “It seems like we got a lot of things accomplished.”
One of the sheriff’s goals was to address drug problems within the county. He highlighted the seizure of 15 grams of methamphetamines and $15,000 in cash, which led to the arrest of Amy Kirby, 48, of Lometa.
Parker cited the establishment of the K-9-unit as a big step in being able to detect narcotics during traffic stops. The dog Blazer started patrol duties alongside Deputy Justin Wilson in October after graduating from training with Shane Menz of Saber Working Dogs.
However, the dog is back in training now. Parker said Blazer has yet to adjust to her new environment and has been with Menz for the last two weeks.
“She is going to get some environmental training,” Parker said. “She has a good nose, but there was some remedial stuff I was concerned with that I called him [Menz] about, and he took her back and is working with her a little bit more.”
If the dog is unsuccessful at training, Parker said Menz has promised a replacement dog at no charge.
STAFFING & EQUIPMENT
When he became sheriff last January, Parker said the LCSO was three deputies and six jailers short of having a full staff. Now, the department is nearly full, with one deputy completing field training and another set to graduate from the academy March 6. The sheriff said one jailer position remains open.
In 2025, Parker worked with County Auditor Tragina Talent to start a more competitive pay scale, with jailers starting at $41,600 and deputies starting at $52,000. This year, the sheriff plans to use a majority of the $350,000 received from the state’s Rural Law Enforcement Grants to bump up department salaries.
“We needed the salaries bumped here to be competitive with Lampasas PD, Hamilton and Coryell,” Parker said. “That way we can be competitive at recruiting and retaining good deputies and jailers.”
The LCSO welcomed Luis Ramos as the new jail administrator and shifted Tammie Davis to the assistant jail administrator role in 2025. Also, Parker developed a new administrative sergeant position and a jail maintenance post.
“The jail administrator, assistant jail administrator and I spent a lot of time going behind the cells and clearing out sewer lines, taking care of plumbing issues and anything else that broke that we needed to attend to,” he said. “Getting that full-time maintenance position was very much needed.”
While grant funds are going toward staff salaries in 2026, a majority of funding in 2025 went to new equipment. Significant items included the addition of a JI Avata 2 drone for observing inside structures and a larger SJI Matrice 30T drone with thermal capabilities. Also, the LCSO acquired weapon suppressors, protective masks and six ballistic helmets for the department’s new Special Response Team, a tactical unit for hostage situations or barricaded entries.
COURTHOUSE, JAIL SECURITY
To start his term, Parker worked with the Courthouse Office of Administration to conduct a security evaluation of the Lampasas courthouse. One recommendation was installation of a metal detector. The item was approved by the Lampasas County Commissioners Court in February.
Also, Parker sought Texas Historical Commission approval for tempered glass to be installed in the courthouse’s exterior door panels to address security concerns.
“They let us put the glass on the west side versus the other two doors,” Parker said on the location of half-inch tempered glass panels.
The sheriff also is looking to boost security at the Lampasas County Jail by installing a perimeter fence. He said the LCSO has received $43,000 in grant funding for the project. To complete the fencing, Parker said another $40,000 would be required.
“If we had a fire, our escape is waiting in the sallyport and waiting for buses to come load inmates and get them off the premises,” he said. “If we had a security fence with concertina wire, we could exit the male and female pods a lot quicker, and get to the outside and away from the building.”
WORKING WITH ICE
Last year, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 8 that requires sheriffs to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Parker said the LCSO has partnered with ICE’s Warrant Service Officer program to allow trained officers to execute ICE warrants on individuals already in custody. The department is also a part of ICE’s Task Force Model which allows trained officers to question individuals about their immigration status, issue detainers or make related arrests. For its cooperation with ICE, the LCSO is eligible for a $80,000 grant.
Parker noted the LCSO is not actively searching for illegal residents in Lampasas County.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2026
On Monday, Parker had a team meeting with Motorola Solution on new body and dash cameras for the LCSO. The department is making a switch away from Ingram Technologies and i-Pro products. The current body and in-car cameras have failed to upload to the department’s on-site server, which has led to thousands of hours of missing footage.
“It has been a disaster,” Parker said of the equipment.
He is confident the change to Motorola’s cloud-based storage system will be more efficient than the on-site server. The sheriff hopes the switch in technology will be completed in the next 30 days.
Another wish list item for 2026 is 25 new radios for the LCSO. Parker said the department’s radios are at end of life and no longer supported. He would like to purchase radios that have cell phone functionality in case an officer is in an area where he can’t reach a radio tower. The price for those radios is $9,000 each.
Perhaps the biggest objective for Parker in 2026 is to help the department switch to the Greater Austin/Travis County Regional Radio System for public communications. The Lampasas Police Department and Burnet County Sheriff’s Office are on that network.
“That way, when there are instances we all have to respond to, we have the same frequencies we can go to,” Parker said. “Right now, it is not that way and kind of aggravating as far as communication when stuff happens. That is one of my main goals.”
