 Fallen Officer
Fund
By Mike McGregor
ASSIST FALLEN OFFICER FUND DIRECTOR
Once again we ask that you say a prayer and raise a toast to one who has gone before
us. On March 28 at approximately 9 p.m. Officer William Dougherty, a security officer for Executive Security of Austin, died in a car accident while on duty operating his patrol vehicle.
It is believed he suffered a heart attack which caused him to lose control of the vehicle. Dougherty was with Executive for almost six years. He was buried April 3, in Elgin, Texas.
His surviving family members, Helene Surreal and Robert Surreal, were very surprised on the day of the funeral to find that Dougherty was indeed remembered by his fellow security professionals. More than 40 officers from 10 companies attended the funeral. A procession of almost 16 security vehicles were escorted by three patrol units from the Elgin Police Department.
We would like to thank the officers and companies that attended the funeral. They included: American Eagle Protective, ATX, Blackstone Group, Blue Moon of Houston, R & A Security Services of Dallas, Sentry, SPSS, Statewide Patrol, Texas Regional Protective Services and Officer Dougherty’s fellow officers and employees of Executive Security Systems. Special thanks to Blue Moon Security for the presence of their honor guard at the funeral.
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“Gratitude is the one thing money cannot buy”
I would like to express my gratitude to your organization for letting us know that someone cared about my late cousin Bill, also known as William Warren Dougherty Jr., who died unexpectedly while on duty March 28, 2009, in Austin, Texas. He was a loyal employee of Executive Security Systems, Inc.
We are grateful to you for the Color Guard and encouraging the other security personnel to attend his services. He would have been pleased that people cared enough about him.
As his relative, I thank you for the emotional support your organization provided during this extremely sad and difficult time.
Thank You,
Helene R. Schmidt |
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Our condolences also go out to the officers and the staff of Executive Security Systems. A short reception sponsored by the Fallen Officer Fund was held immediately after the funeral services for those that attended.
Security officers across the state of Texas go to work every night and face the perils and dangers of our
profession. When an officer dies on duty the Fallen Officer Fund will be there to support the families and coworkers as they mourn their loss. To do any less would dishonor their memory and our profession. Please remember in your thoughts these professionals that are there when events threaten the peace of the community and locations these officers protect. Should you know of an incident where an officer is killed or dies in the line of duty please call and let us know the details as soon as possible.
The FOF supports officers and their families regardless of the officer’s or employer’s participation in ASSIST. One of the hardest challenges we face when tragedy strikes is to be able to respond in the short time span to support the family and co-workers of the officer.
Please feel free to call me or contact any ASSIST board member either on the local or state
level. I encourage the individual security officers of Texas to support the FOF either by individual contribution or by payroll deduction to the fund that supports the fallen and their families.
The fallen officer board continues to pursue the elusive status of a charity for the FOF. The IRS has asked that we expand the scope and goals of the FOF to meet the government requirements for charity status (501C3). This will allow us to accept tax deductible donations and expand what the FOF does when an officer is killed or dies in the line of duty.
Please feel free to contact me at fallenofficer@assisttexas.org or call me at (214) 729-0667 if you have questions, need information, know of a Fallen officer, wish to arrange donations or just to find out more.
Remember that the community is served by the true first responder, the security officers of Texas.
When tragedies happen, we all need to support each other.
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Donations to the Fallen Officer Fund can be made online (click
here) or by mailing them to:
ASSIST Fallen Officers Fund, 3300 Bee Caves Road Suite 650-119, Austin, TX
78746. For additional information click here or contact Mike McGregor, Chairman of the Fallen Officer Fund, at (214)
729-0667, or e-mail him at fallenofficer@assisttexas.org. |
Click here to download the Employee
Deduction Application (PDF)
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