CLEAT

During National Correctional Officers Week, we honor the detention officers who keep order and ensure safety every day. Your role is critical, and CLEAT is proud to stand with you. We don’t just say we value your work, we back it with the opportunity to serve on our Executive Board. Because representation matters. 💪 #NationalCorrectionalOfficersWeek #CorrectionsWeek

Honoring the fallen. Remembering the sacrifice. Standing with the families, friends and law enforcement community who carry their legacy forward. These moments from the Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony reflect a promise: we will never forget.

UPDATE: A Fort Worth Police employee, part of the Civilian Response Unit (CRU), was shot in the eye by the suspect. We are glad to hear they are doing well and will continue to pray for their healing and recovery. cbsnews.com/texas/news/for…

🚨41st Critical Incident, Officer Involved Shooting, Ft Worth PD. CLEAT Of Counsel Attorney Terry Daffron responded and is currently with our members. Both officers involved are safe. fox4news.com/news/fort-wort…

Huge thank you to all the riders and groups who joined us for the 25th Annual Ride for the Fallen. Appreciation to the Protectors LEMC for leading the ride, and to Cowboy Harley-Davidson for once again hosting the meetup and registration. Thank you to our sponsors James Wood Law Firm and Sandy Haley of Southwest Mortgage for your continued support. And thank you to our speakers, including State Representative @RyanGuillen, CLEAT President Scott Leeton, Ervey Banda, Chaplain “Pastor B.,” the Travis County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, and all our volunteers! 25 years strong and still riding with purpose. 💙

🕊️ Celebration of Life for Hans Marticiuc: Monday, May 4 at 1:00 The Woodlands Methodist Church “Harvest Chapel” 2200 Lake Woodlands Drive The Woodlands, TX 77380 In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the “Thin Blue Line” referencing “Opa”. 🙏

From leadership updates to preparing for a meaningful weekend of memorial events, today’s Executive Board meeting reflects the strength and experience guiding CLEAT forward. Executive Director Robert Leonard and division directors are providing updates to the Board, and we were honored to officially swear in and welcome new Executive Board member Bobby Neal to kick the meeting off! 👏

This Sunday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m., we will honoring 25 fallen officers and five historically fallen officers at the 2026 Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial. Join us at the Memorial Monument on the Capitol Grounds.

🚨40th Critical Incident, In Custody Death, Bexar County SO. Staff Attorney Kay Cole responded to assist our member earlier today. news4sanantonio.com/news/local/inm…

Early voting is open! 🗳️ SD 4: Vote Republican Brett Ligon. ✅ Strong leadership for Texas law enforcement. LigonForTexas.com Representation matters. Choose leadership that stands with law enforcement. 💪 @LigonForTexas #votetexas #earlyvoting

With a heavy heart we are saddened to report the passing of CLEAT’s Hans Marticiuc. Hans was a true friend, an amazing colleague, and words cannot describe our feelings of profound loss. His dedication to the men and women of law enforcement spanned nearly 40 years of union activism and is reflective of the care and commitment he had for the people he advocated for, leaving a lasting legacy for years to come. After joining the Houston Police Department in 1979 he became heavily involved in union activities eventually becoming President of the Houston Police Officers Union (HPOU). Hans served as President of the HPOU for 12 years. He was a tenacious fighter for the rights and working conditions of his members and he led the charge in HPOU achieving Meet and Confer which allowed the union to negotiate wages and working conditions with the City of Houston. In 2017, Hans came out of retirement due to his strong desire to help other officers and joined the CLEAT family servicing our Houston and Harris County members for nearly 10 years. Hans' work ethic and motivation were second to none. Whether it was attending association meetings or functions, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, or assisting a member with an issue, Hans was always willing to step up and help. He worked tirelessly on behalf of CLEAT’s members but also lived a life many only dream about. An avid motorcycle enthusiast and world traveler, Hans never missed an opportunity to expand his horizons. He loved seeing new places and meeting new people and cultures. Hans traveled to nearly 100 countries, sometimes by himself. He also enjoyed riding motorcycles with his friends to rallies around the US and on several excursions to different parts of the world. The only thing he loved more than his friends and traveling was his family. Hans was so proud of his grandchildren and never missed an opportunity to spend time with them. For those of us that knew him and were a part of his life, we consider ourselves fortunate to have had the honor and privilege of calling him a friend. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to his family and friends. RIP friend, you will not be forgotten.

CLEAT and the San Marcos Police Officers Association (SMPOA), a long-time CLEAT affiliate, are working in tandem to ensure fair representation for a San Marcos Police officer involved in a call for service on March 14th. CLEAT attorneys are representing the officer who responded to a call from the mother of a teenage girl reporting her daughter was attempting to enter a truck with two unknown males at 3:55am. The officer quickly located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. It was not clear to the officer at that time whether the teen subject was inside the vehicle. The driver and passenger were detained and subsequently arrested for interference with public duties based on the interaction that occurred during the detention. Law enforcement officers do not have the benefit of hindsight. Their duty is to respond swiftly, run toward potential danger, and enforce the law based on their observations and/or information coming in from the public they answer to. This is why compliance with commands is particularly important as an officer moves through a traffic stop or crime scene. Our member followed the law and was upholding his duties as a peace officer. The quick apprehension of the subject on behalf of a rightfully concerned mother is the kind of swift law enforcement action we would all hope for, given the circumstances. At no time during the interaction did the officer have any knowledge of the suspect’s legal status. As always, CLEAT will be representing our member every step of the way, and we are confident in defending the officer’s actions. cbsaustin.com/news/local/arr…

TWO Workers Comp Victories in one week for CLEAT members! Several years ago, CLEAT retained a workers' compensation consultant who works directly with our members on their claims. This has uncovered issues we’ve been able to resolve through our work with legislators, CLEAT attorneys, and Dr. Sheinberg, the lead cardiologist working with first responders and heart attack presumption research. Last week, Dr. Sheinberg offered a causation letter for a member whose workers' comp claim was DENIED after he suffered a heart attack ON DUTY while responding to a call.  All this despite the heart attack presumption statute that CLEAT, Dr. Sheinberg, and Representative Patterson worked to pass several sessions ago. Upon receipt of the causation letter, the workers' comp claim was ACCEPTED, and the member is working through the process. Also, last week, CLEAT General Counsel Jane Bishkin and @RepPattersonTX sent demand letters to the City of Arlington regarding their policies and practices requiring INJURED FIRST RESPONDERS to exhaust their sick leave to attend a doctor's appointment related to the injury. This process circumvents the injury leave legislation we passed during the 88th legislative session and has been a problem for our members injured in the line of duty. We are grateful to report that the City of Arlington responded that they are adjusting this practice and will no longer require officers to utilize their hard-earned sick/vacation days to attend required doctor's appointments tied to their line of duty injuries!

The Texas Peace Officers' Memorial will be taking place April 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the State Capitol Grounds. Hear more from TCOLE’s Special Events Manager Dani Story-Stinson, who is the surviving spouse of a fallen officer about this year’s ceremony.

Heart disease is one of the most overlooked risks facing first responders. Ahead of the upcoming “Code Red” documentary, cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Sheinberg shares insight on the long-term impact the job can have on heart health. 🔗 podbean.com/ew/pb-csbn8-1a…

🚨39th Critical Incident, Lubbock PD. Regional Attorney Tray Payne responded to assist our member last night. All officers are safe. everythinglubbock.com/news/local-new…

🚨38th Critical Incident, Brookshire PD. Regional Attorney Rey Ramirez responded to assist our member earlier this evening.