Lampasas native named to head Burnet Police
By LISA CARNLEY Staff Writer

Native Lampasan Paul Nelson now heads the Burnet Police Department.

Almost his whole life, Paul Nelson watched his father, Constable Gordon Nelson, don a law enforcement uniform every day. And the idea that his father sought to make a difference in the Lampasas community never left the younger Nelson. It had just the opposite effect: It galvanized the young man toward a similar career.

Paul Nelson still has a hard time, however, believing he climbed the career ladder as quickly as he has. At 34 years of age, he finds himself in the enviable position of Burnet police chief.

The Lampasas native, who graduated from Lampasas High School in 1991, attended Cisco Junior College for a short time before becoming a state prison guard in Beeville. He transferred to Livingston as a prison guard.

Around 1993, Nelson returned to Lampasas and began work under Sheriff Gordon Morris as a jailer.

He then moved to the Burnet County Sheriff's Department as a jailer, and after finishing the police academy in 1994, Nelson was hired as a deputy. He then moved to the Burnet Police Department as a patrol officer in 1996, and was promoted to investigator in 2000.

In 2004, he was elevated to the rank of captain, and in August 2007, he was named interim police chief to fill a vacancy in the department.

Earlier this month, the Burnet City Council named him police chief.

"This is a challenge, and I love to face challenges," he said.

When he took over as interim, Nelson beefed up the city's police force, which then found itself six officers short. Now there are just two vacancies -- a patrol officer and a captain to replace him when he was promoted.

With the city of Burnet -- the county seat, similar in population to Lampasas -- and Marble Falls' drastic growth, Nelson's community finds itself expanding. "There's not a lot of commercial businesses there, but there are a lot of people who live there and travel to work."

Though his day-to-day work keeps him busy, Nelson said he looks forward to increasing communication to all aspects of the community through a number of activities, including Burnet's version of a National Night Out event he hopes to start next August. "The Lampasas event is very successful, and I would like to see that success here as well," he said. "I want to get the public involved and work more with the young people of our community. That's very important."

Nelson said he appreciates the values his parents instilled in him as a youngster. "I have a lot of respect for my dad. He kept me out of trouble, and he is the reason I went into law enforcement. I always wanted to be a part of that and to make a difference in people's lives."

The senior Nelson has been a constable for Lampasas for nearly three decades.

"I got into law enforcement because I wanted to be able to help people," said his son. "If that turned out to be as a patrol officer, then that was fine. But I love to work cases and to see the smile on people's faces when you help them get their property back or take care of their problems.

"And I enjoy it when the kids come up to you and want to talk to you just because you're a police officer. You want them to learn to trust you and know they can come to you if they need anything, and to know you will do the right thing by them," he said. "I want to earn their trust, then I want to keep it."

Nelson said he also appreciates his mother, Pauline, who continuously showed her support for the law enforcement family, which includes a brother who is a federal prison guard, a sister-in-law who is a guard at a state jail, a sister who is a court reporter, and her husband who serves as a captain for the Austin Fire Department. "Mom is the one who kept it all together all these years."

Nelson, a father of two, said he enjoys working with Lampasas law enforcement personnel, many of whom he has known all his life, such as Sheriff Morris. He said he appreciates Lampasas Chief Tim Angermann and Assistant Chief Sammy Bailey for their professionalism and willingness to work with area law enforcement.

"I have a lot of respect for them and for what they do, and they have taught me a lot about respect for small towns. I'm proud to be from Lampasas, and I'm proud to be where I'm at now."

Where does the police chief see himself 10 years down the road?

"I see myself always being in law enforcement, and I see myself as the Burnet chief of police. I hope to retire from this position.

"I am committed to Burnet and to doing the best job I can for the city and its residents."