Features

By: Leslie Blair

With a 39-year career with the Arlington Police Department and more than 9,000 certified hours of Texas Commission on Law Enforcement professional training in the rearview mirror, Assistant Chief of Police James Lowery headed south for the opportunity to become the Chief of Police for the City of Schertz.

Lowery assumed his new role on June 27. Although he had opportunities for positions in larger cities, Schertz was very attractive to Lowery and his family. “It’s a vibrant community,” he said.

His wife, Randi, has family in the Hill Country. They frequently visited and wanted to return to the area. And as a “military brat,” he relished the idea of living so near Randolph Air Force Base. But most important to Lowery was the small town feel of Schertz, despite its rapid growth. “One of the things you must realize going into law enforcement is that it is relational. And if you don't realize that it is a servicebased profession, you're in the wrong profession,” said Lowery. “In a larger department, unfortunately, because of the volume of calls for service, and the need for police to be able to respond, you lose that personal touch. I believe Schertz was the perfect place for me. You still have the ability to provide services that larger departments cannot sustain, which increases our community contact and builds that relationship. But it's also a progressive city. We should be able to leverage a lot of technology and move this department forward.”

Leading by Example

In addition to overseeing the administrative and operational aspects of the department, the chief of police sets the tone for

the department, influencing the culture and goals of the unit.

During his first two weeks on the job, Lowery took to the streets in uniform, even making a routine traffic stop, baffling the dispatcher who couldn’t believe the chief of police made a traffic stop. That stop, by the way, served as an educational moment for the driver as Chief Lowery did not issue a citation.

More recently when Chief Lowery took to the streets again, there was a call regarding a suspicious person. He talked with a resident, explained the situation, and asked if the neighbor had seen anyone. They had not but the next day the department received an email complimenting the chief. The resident had never seen the chief of police out on a call for service before and ended up thanking Chief Lowery for “being out there and leading by example.” Lowery never wants to get to the point where he thinks being out in the community, engaging in community police work, is beneath him.

He believes it is vital that officers invest in what he calls the guardian mindset. “We are the guardians of our community. We must be engaged. We are part of the community, and the community is even more part of

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our police department. That’s where we gain our direction and authority to act; without the communities’ trust we would not be able to be effective,” he said. True to his guardian philosophy, the most rewarding moments on the job have come when he has saved lives. In his long career, he is most proud of the three awards he received for saving lives, among a list of many others including three Distinguished Service Awards and three Community Service Awards. When asked if he has “seen it all” in law enforcement, he responds, “You may think you have seen it all, but you have not, you just see it less frequently.”

Chief Lowery does believe that one of the most significant problems in law enforcement is the high rate of suicide and the need for mental health care for officers. “What we see in one to two years is more than most people will see in their lifetime,” said Lowery.

Although Schertz experiences very little violent crime, it has its share of property crimes, primarily burglaries and motor vehicle theft. Currently the theft of catalytic converters is a problem.

One of the main challenges for Chief Lowery and the Schertz PD is one that is common nationwide—recruiting and retaining personnel. He manages a staff of 70 officers and currently has five openings. Lowery explains that because Schertz isn’t large enough to have its own academy, the department relies upon hiring officers who have some experience or who have already been through the police academy on their own. In turn, these officers often stay 5 to 7 years, gaining valuable experience, and then move on. Some leave for personal reasons; others have been recruited by surrounding law enforcement agencies. Because Schertz hires quality people, other agencies often try to recruit from the department, something Lowery views as positive. “It speaks highly for the men and women of the department,” he explains.

Since the department has been under transition due to the retirement of the police chief and assistant police chief, Lowery admits the loss of historical knowledge is significant. “I'm now leaning on a lower rank, if you will. But I will say this, they have been quite impressive. And they are offering me a perspective that I found to be very refreshing and honest. Their candor is appreciated,” he said. “I'm trying to learn about the city and the historical decisions that were made, and why we are where we are now.”

The Chief is a strong believer in “management by wandering around,” and believes that being genuine and sincere is key to building relationships. He tries to take time each day to visit with police department employees, even if it just saying a quick hello. He also likes engaging others in decision making. “I'm a firm believer that unless it's life or death, I like to have time and I like to engage my people and senior staff to have their input. So, when a decision is made, it most likely will provide a long-term solution rather than a short-term solution. I believe the more people you have involved in that decision the better solution you will have, because the stakeholders had a voice and understand why the decisions made,” he said. “They're going to be advocates for you to ensure that it's done successfully, whatever the issue is,” Lowery explains. Chief Lowery’s career leading the Schertz PD is in its early stages. Time will show the ways his influence will shape and grow the department, but until then, look for Chief Lowery out and about town, visiting community meetings and schools, monitoring the pulse of Schertz and its people, leading by example.

By: Kira Villarreal

Schertz residents who have been in the area for more than a few years have no doubt noticed a transformation taking place on Main Street. Since 2019, the area has undergone a revitalization, including improvements to streets, sidewalks, and parking, installation of public art, and renovation of older buildings. It has also welcomed many new businesses, giving the community lots of great new reasons to come downtown.

This month, the Main Street project begins its final phase, with a recent issuance by the Schertz City Council of $3.25 million in bond funds which has increased the total project budget to $10.5 million and expanded the scope of the project. The funds allocated for the Main Street project were part of a larger community investment of approximately $19.8 million in bond funds, which will include work to improve the reliability and availability of water services to the residents and to improve traffic flows along FM 1518, in addition to the work on Main Street.

The latest phase of the Main Street project will include some needed improvements to older infrastructure, including replacing an old water main and sewer line and undergrounding the overhead utilities. Also included in this work will be a reconstruction of the street (a more extensive overhaul than the originally planned mill and overlay) which will replace deeper layers of the street to ensure that the subsurface retains its integrity after the underground utility work is completed.

This latest phase of the project will involve the entire length of Main Street, from Schertz Parkway to Lindberg Avenue. Additionally, the project will incorporate some street surface work on Lindberg Avenue where it intersects with Main Street, and will also improve the median, handle some of the drainage, and provide more on-street parking.

For area residents, the most impactful and readily apparent changes to the Main Street area will be the removal of the utility poles and the overhead power lines, which are now clearly visible on the street, but will be moved underground to give the area a cleaner and more pleasant atmosphere.

Schertz City Council approved the revised scope of the project with the design engineer at a council meeting in early September. Once the final designs are complete, the City will bid out the project and secure a contractor for the construction work, which is expected to begin sometime in 2023. Assistant City Manager Brian James notes that the exact timeline hasn’t been determined, as there are several factors that need to be considered.

“Supply chain challenges have been an ongoing issue for the past several years,” said James. It’s also our primary goal to complete this work in a way that minimizes the impact to the existing businesses and residents on Main Street, even if that means that the work may take a bit longer to complete.”

In the past year, residents may have also noticed several new businesses which now call Main Street home. These include the

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Hidden Grove Bar, Frost Bite Soft Serve, and Mexican restaurant Las Pinchachas #2. These new establishments join a growing number of businesses that have moved into the downtown area since 2019, giving people more reasons to visit in their leisure time to enjoy dining and shopping amidst the new and improved historic area. Much of this growth has also been spurred by grant programs designed to help attract new business to the area as part of the Main Street project.

Plans are already in the works for some other new businesses, including a food truck park and a mixed-use commercial building at the corner of Schertz Parkway and Main, which will be the first sizeable new building to be constructed in the area in years.

According to Brian James, Main Street is now living up to the vision that the city has long held for the area. “When we began this work, Main Street was a place where people went Monday through Friday during work hours, but we had always envisioned it as a place where people would choose to spend their weekends and leisure time, and even a destination for people from surrounding cities,” he said. “Now if you go downtown at 10 o’clock on a Friday night you’ll see lots of activity going on. It has been quite a transformation.”

James also notes that the project has not been without its challenges. Since the initial phases of construction began in 2019, the City has had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and product shortages, and the unique problems that can arise when dealing with aging infrastructure. Despite the challenges, most people who have seen the transformed Main Street area will agree that the project has greatly enhanced downtown Schertz, breathing new life into the area, and restoring much of the street’s former glory.

For more information on the Main Street improvement project and other community improvements, please visit Schertz.com.