OAK RIDGE, Texas — The City of Oak Ridge recently finalized a rigorous process with the State of Texas to establish a new police department for the small, central Kaufman County community.
OAK RIDGE, Texas — The City of Oak Ridge recently finalized a rigorous process with the State of Texas to establish a new police department for the small, central Kaufman County community.
“Our goal is to provide the city of Oak Ridge and the public with quality law enforcement services and to provide a law enforcement presence to prevent and deter criminal activity and to enforce the ordinances which are already in place for the betterment of our community,” read a press release issued Thursday morning.
The department will initially be staffed by three reserve officers — Chief of Police Thomas Peoples, Lieutenant Matthew Antkowiak, and patrol officer Caleb McCollum.
The City of Oak Ridge purchased one patrol vehicle and is leasing a second, both of which have been fully-equiped. Oak Ridge Mayor Al Rudin said equipment donations from area law enforcement agencies has been instrumental in the early stages.
A contract for inmate housing was struck with the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office earlier this year.
City of Oak Ridge Police Department officer profiles:
Peoples has over 25 years of law enforcement experience beginning in 1989 as a reserve peace officer while serving on active duty in the United States Army. After serving in Operation Desert Storm, Peoples left the military in 1991 to pursue a career in law enforcement. Peoples became a full-time peace officer with the city of Harker Heights where he obtained the rank of patrol sergeant and remained there until 1994 when he was accepted to the Texas Department of Public Safety training academy. Peoples remained with the Texas Department of Public Safety as a State Trooper until 2002. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Peoples joined the Federal Air Marshal Service. For the past couple of years, Peoples has served as a reserve peace officer with the City of Pelican Bay where he held the position of patrol sergeant.
Antkowiak has over 26 years of combined public safety and private security experience. He served in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, deploying globally, as a military police officer and infantryman. He raised through the enlisted ranks and, after OCS, he was commissioned as an infantry officer. Following the Army, Antkowiak began a career in public safety that has included service as a firefighter and EMT in Oklahoma City, a police officer, detective, SWAT Operator and team leader and defensive tactics instructor for the Moore Police Department in Oklahoma and the Dallas Police Department. Antkowiak has over 6,100 hours of public safety professional development training. He also served as a special deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to the U.S. Secret Service as a Task Force officer. Antkowiak is a 6th-degree Black Belt and master martial arts instructor and is a court-certified police use of force expert. He will serve the City of Oak Ridge Police Department as a lieutenant and defensive tactics, and firearms instructor.
McCollum graduated from the Cedar Valley College Law Enforcement Academy at the top of his class in 2016. He has combined experience in public safety and private security. He has served as the deputy chief of operations for a private security firm where he managed the patrol division. He has over 1,000 hours of public safety professional development training, including 160 hours of SWAT and hostage rescue training. Prior to accepting a position with the City of Oak Ridge Police Department, he served as a Lancaster, Texas, police officer. He is a Brown Belt in Krav Maga, and a certified NRA firearms instructor.