Our hearts are heavy because we've lost our brother, Sgt. Raymond Scholwinski, 70, who died May 6 after falling ill from COVID-19. He was a 39-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. He is survived by his wife, Rynda Scholwinski, and four adult children. He was laid to rest on Thursday with his loving family and friends in attendance.
Raymond’s character and dedication to the community were astonishing. He served 14 years as a volunteer deputy in the Sheriff's Office Reserves. In 1993, he accepted a full-time entry-level position as a detention officer. From there, he worked his way to patrol where he served with dignity and distinction until his final days. Most recently, Raymond served as a deputy in District two. He was made for the job. He showed genuine compassion to everyone he encountered.
Raymond was a great teammate, an incredible family man, and a wonderful person. We will miss him and forever keep him and his family in our hearts. Your brothers and sisters in blue have the watch from here.
As we celebrate National Police Week, I want to acknowledge and thank all of my teammates for protecting our residents. Thank you for your service, sacrifices, and dedication. Today we also celebrate Peace Officers Memorial Day, and should all take a moment to remember and honor those courageous men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty.
In memory of our fallen heroes, our Honor Guard organized a virtual Memorial Service. Click
here
to watch the service and
here
to learn more about our fallen heroes. Let us never forget their sacrifice and live in a way that brings honor to our fallen heroes.
Stay Safe
As we continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to thank my HCSO family for your hopeful spirit as we proceed to fight together. Please remember if you need help or advice dealing with the pandemic, reach out to our Wellness Unit or our Chaplaincy, they are available to assist you and your family with any supplies, financial assistance, and emotional or spiritual support. Remember you are not alone, we are a family and we are here for you. See the Important Items section to learn more about the resources available for you.
The
Harris County Public Health
encourages residents to get tested for COVID-19 if you feel you have it or have been in contact with someone who tested positive. Click
here
for more information about the free testing.
Thank you to all of my teammates for the incredible work you do every day to serve Harris County and adhere to those five core values that make us the best law enforcement agency in the country. God bless you, and may God bless the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Sincerely,
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez
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"Sheriff Ed Gonzalez thanked Scholwinski’s family for his long years of service to the department, and the sacrifice the job had required of them. “Our hearts are heavy because we’ve lost a teammate and a friend,” Gonzalez said. “We are heartbroken because it just doesn’t seem fair we would lose Raymond in this manner.”"
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"The virtual service
opened
with a special tribute to Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, who died last September after he was shot during a traffic stop. He made history in 2015 when the Harris County Sheriff’s Office allowed him to grow out his beard and wear a turban on patrol, a requirement of his Sikh faith."
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"Los servicios de funeral se llevaron a cabo el jueves 14 de mayo en la iglesia ‘First Assembly of God’ en Humble, Texas, a donde se dieron cita familiares y compañeros del sargento Scholwinski quien no logró vencer la batalla contra el COVID-19. El sargento Scholwinski fue recibido con todos los honores al llegar al templo ubicado en la cuadra 1915 del FM 1960."
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Memorial Fund setup for the family of Sgt. Ray Scholwinski
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A Memorial Fund has been setup for the family of Sgt Scholwinski.
In the past the HCSOBA has advised against donating to thru
GoFundMe
because the fees charged and the tax implication to the recipient of the funds.
GoFundMe Charities allows us to setup a "non-profit" account which allows for no program fee and the tax advantage of a 501(c)3 non-profit.
Click
here
if you want to support the Scholwinski.
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Do you or your family need assistance?
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In keeping with our 5th core value, our Wellness Unit as well as our Chaplaincy are available to assist you. Should you or your family have a physical need for hard-find-supplies, financial assistance, emotional and or spiritual support, please reach out to us.
Lt. Shannon Bowdoin 936-776-6537
Don Savell 832-233-4387
Dr. Robert Seals
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Online Training Available for HCSO Employees
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Harris County Human Resources & Risk Management is working with a new vendor, KnowledgeCity, to meet the current need for online training.
Online training classes will be available to Harris County employees starting, Wednesday, April 1
st
.
Please see the attached course catalog for KnowledgeCity, along with a list detailing the duration of each class.
To get started, please contact your supervisor to request permission. Employees
MUST
be approved by their supervisor to register for the online training courses. Once approval is received, employees can submit an email request to register for online training to
Syrenthia.Bonds@sheriff.hctx.net
(Please CC: supervisor). Thereafter, a link will be sent to for the requesting employee to register for the available training courses online.
***Important***
Employees who are on the following may NOT take the online training courses:
*FMLA
*Using Sick time or Compensation (Comp) time
*Regular Days Off (RDO)
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Mandatory BPOC Diagnostic Physical Fitness Test
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With the new changes to the entrance into the BPOC, the academy staff will be conducting Physical Agility Testing at the front entrance into The Harris County Sheriff's Academy, 2316 Atascocita Road, Humble Texas 77396. We are limiting the testing to a maximum of 10 candidates during a single session. In order for your application to be processed by Human Resources you must successfully pass the Physical Agility Test.
The PAT consist of the following:
- Radio manipulation (articulating your first/last name and your date of birth via a radio mic while turning a steering wheel)
- Weapon manipulation (Pistol & Shotgun) (pressing the trigger 5 times in 10 seconds)
- Push-ups (20 in one (1) minute)
- Sit-ups (45 in two (2) minutes)
- 1.5 mile run (15 minutes and 30 seconds or less)
If, you fail any portion of the test, you will
not
continue forward for that session. The academy staff will allow you some time to go home and practice. An additional test will be set up on a later date.
You are allowed a maximum of three (3) attempts to pass the physical agility test. You must contact Sergeant Williams through email at charlotte.williams@sheriff.hctx.net or Deputy Sled at daniel.sled@
sheriff.hctx.net
to schedule a Physical Agility Test. Only the candidates who are scheduled will be allowed to participate in the test. Once you are scheduled for a PAT, it is imperative to attend on your assigned test date and time since the test is limited to 10 candidates.
If you need to cancel or reschedule, please contact Sergeant Williams (713) 274-4923 or Deputy Sled (713) 274-4913. Upon arrival for the PAT, your identification will be checked at the front entrance of the academy building. The testing will start promptly start at 9:30 am or 1pm hours. Please wait at the front entrance and be prepared to be screened prior to testing.
You should be dressed in appropriate fitness attire; no sheer garments, ensure your fitness garment covers your torso and extends to the thighs.
Please bring your face covering, gloves and water for hydration
.
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, you will not be allowed into the academy building for any reason.
GOOD LUCK
!!
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Upcoming LIVE Wellness Webinars
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Healthy Actions Medical Plan (HAMP) credit will be provided for those in attendance.
All wellness training in person is now canceled through April, so we will continue to have trainings online. Here is a list of our upcoming live webinars for April 2020. These classes are taught by our Cigna Health Coaches Sam and Brandy. Please visit the below links for additional information and registration. These classes do not come with an automated certificate. If a certificate is needed for work credit, please reach out to the wellness inbox (
wellness@bmd.hctx.net
) with the class title and date of completion.
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Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Seminars
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As an employee or retiree you have access to a valuable Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by Cigna at no additional cost. EAP personal advocates will work with you and your household family members to help you resolve issues you may be facing, connect you with the right mental health professionals, direct you to a variety of helpful resources in your community and more. The EAP offers access to face-to-face counselors in your area, as well as Cigna EAP phone consultants to help process life stresses and improve well-being.
The EAP benefit is… A household benefit. Confidential. Prepaid by employer (No cost to you). Available 24/7/365.
- Stress management
- Family or parenting issues
- Substance abuse/misuse
- Work/life balance
- Burnout
- Marital/relationship problems
- Child and elder care
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Anger management
- Legal concerns
- Financial issues
- Coping with change
- Self-esteem
The focus of this program includes:
- Work/life balance
- Improved lifestyle
- Better physical and mental health
- Total well-being
To explore your EAP benefits, please see the contact information below:
ALL INFORMATION IS CONFIDENTIAL BETWEEN CIGNA (EAP) AND EMPLOYEE
For additional information, please contact
:
Ronisha Mathis, HCSO Human Resources
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Miss Last Week's Newsletter?
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HCSO Newsletter #64 - In Loving Memory of Sgt. Raymond...
"A sign outside the Harris County Sheriff's Office substation in Humble reads: "Pray for Ray." But there are only tears Thursday morning. Sgt. Raymond Scholwinski passed away after being hospitalized with COVID-19 since late march. He was 70....
Read more
myemail.constantcontact.com
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