By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Waylon Bullard has died. Bullard, 76, served law enforcement agencies at the state, county and
Bullard and his wife of more than 52 years, Karla, both avid bass fishers, moved to Del Rio in 2002 to enjoy Lake Amistad.
Val Verde Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez said today, “On Wednesday, I received a call at about 9:38 a.m. that Chief Deputy Waylon Bullard had passed in San Antonio. Not only this office, but this community has lost a great leader, a great lawman and a great friend. He dedicated 53 years and seven months to serving the citizens of the state of Texas, and he worked for the sheriff’s office 10 years and three months.
“He was an irreplaceable member of the sheriff’s office, and he will be deeply missed,” the sheriff added.
Bullard’s body was returned to the community he served for more than two decades on Wednesday night, escorted by dozens of marked units representing the agencies for which he had worked, including the DPS, DRPD and VVSO. Marked units from other law enforcement agencies from around the area also joined the procession.
Dozens of marked U.S. Border Patrol and DPS units also lined up along Highway 90 in front of the Border Patrol’s Del Rio Station and a cordon of sheriff’s office units lined the entrance to the Sunset Memorial Funeral Home on Bedell Avenue, as a DPS helicopter circled overhead.
Many citizens and local elected officials also lined Highway 90 and Bedell Avenue to pay their respects.
The Bullards moved to Del Rio following his retirement from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Bullard, a native of Pampa, Texas, earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Abilene Christian University in Abilene in 1978.
Bullard was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army with the rank of sergeant. He served in the Army from November 1965 until November 1968 and was assigned to the U.S. Army Signal Corps, where he handled classified teletype and data communications.
Bullard joined the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in 1969 after graduating from the DPS Training Academy. He worked as a trooper from 1969 until 1975, when he was promoted to sergeant/investigator. He served in this capacity from 1975 until 1985 in Garland, Texas.
In 1986, Bullard was promoted by the DPS to the rank of lieutenant/criminal law enforcement. From 1986 until 1991, Bullard supervised and conducted investigations for the Harlingen, Texas, office of the DPS.
Bullard was promoted to captain in 1991 and assigned to the San Antonio District of the DPS. He retired from the agency in April 1998.
Bullard served as chief of the Ingleside (Texas) Police Department from May 1998 until June 1999.
After moving to Del Rio, Bullard worked as a court security officer for AKAL Security at the federal courthouse in Del Rio. Along with his colleagues and members of the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Bullard assisted in overseeing the safety of three federal judges, their offices and courtrooms and in maintaining the security of the building and grounds.
Bullard was appointed as chief of the Del Rio Police Department in January 2005 and served until December 2009.
In February 2010, he accepted a position as the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy, alongside his longtime friend and colleague, William “Bill” Haynes, also a DPS retiree.
Bullard returned to the Del Rio Police Department as its chief in late 2014.
After his second stint as the city’s police chief, Bullard returned to the sheriff’s office chief deputy position in May 2018 and served at that post until his death on Wednesday.
Bullard held a master peace officer certificate from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education. He was a graduate of the Northwestern University Traffic Institute, the Drug Enforcement Unit Commanders Academy and the State of Texas Management Development Center.
Bullard also was a 1984 graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy.
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