Former student helps protect our nation's borders

by Caroline Basile, editor-in-chief

When Dan Harris was a small child growing up in West Texas, he knew that he wanted to be in law enforcement.
After visiting a family friend's ranch in southwest Texas, Harris realized his calling was with the Border Patrol.
Harris, who is the assistant chief patrol agent for the United States Border Patrol's Marfa Sector, graduated in 1987 from Seagraves High School, and attended SPC from 1987-89, receiving an Associate of Arts Degree in criminal justice.
After graduating from SPC, Harris, who is the 14th member of his family to serve in law enforcement, began his career in 1990 as a police officer in San Angelo. While on the force in San Angelo, Harris continued to attend classes at Angelo State University and earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology in 1994.
In 1993, Harris returned to SPC as an instructor in the law enforcement program, upon the urging of then-department chairperson, George Lawless.
"Being as young as I was, I could bring some of my experiences into the classroom," says Harris. "It was an inspiring job. I enjoyed helping prepare young students for patrol and the streets."
Harris left SPC in May 1995, taking a job as a patrol agent with the United States Border Patrol. After training at the academy in Artesia, N.M., Harris was assigned to the El Paso Sector, where he also served as a sector emergency medical technician.
"I had an itch to work at the border and the wide open area," Harris says. "The desert kept calling back to me."
Harris and his wife, Katrina, have two children, 10-year-old Hunter and 7-year-old Halee. Harris met his wife in the college’s dining hall when both of them were attending SPC.
"Any law enforcement job is extremely stressful on family life," Harris says. "Often times, you have to work long and odd hours, and many assignments take you far away from home. You daily deal with a criminal element that is very disturbing for your family members. The support you receive from your family is often taken for granted, and they never can be appreciated enough for what they have to go through.  They are true heroes of the law enforcement profession."
As Assistant Chief Patrol Agent of the Marfa Sector, Harris supervises the Lubbock, Amarillo, Marfa and Presidio Border Patrol Stations.
"My career with the Border Patrol has been even more fulfilling than I ever expected," Harris says. "I work with some of the greatest law enforcement officers in the world to help protect America."
While with the Border Patrol, Harris has received several letters of commendation and 18 performance awards, including the agency’s highest award for courage, the Newton-Azrak Award, for his actions during a May 2007 shooting in East Texas.
After speaking with a group at a law enforcement memorial, Harris went to the scene of a shooting to assist local officers. Two Henderson County sheriff's deputies, investigator Paul Hablet and Deputy Tony Ogburn, were shot and killed in the line of duty, and another officer was wounded. As a trained EMT, Harris crawled to the injured deputy and began to administer aid while also risking his own life.         
"There has been an effect on me mentally, as it was a horrible day in the fact that two fellow law enforcement officers did not come with us at the end of that call," says Harris. "They are truly the heroes that will live forever in our profession. They gave the ultimate sacrifice to keep the citizens of Texas safe.  Those of us who continue to serve will never forget them or their families. This incident leads me to have even a greater respect and admiration for our military, as they are involved in these types of situations on a daily basis protecting the freedoms of America."
In addition to his work as an agent, Harris also formulated the National Critical Incident Response Manual, establishing the procedures that ensure the proper emotional care of an agent’s family following a death occurring in the line of duty.  
"The most rewarding experience for me in the Border Patrol has been being able to develop our agency’s Critical Incident Response Programs," Harris says. "These programs have been created into one of the best models for the profession and have greatly benefited our employees and the families of our fallen heroes."

All Photos By Britni Palomino/Plainsman Press