The Texas Special Police were formed, along with the Texas State Police, during the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

administration of Texas.The Governor's Hounds The Texas State Police, 1870–1873 By Barry A. Crouch and Donaly E. Brice, University of Texas Press; Reprint edition (December 1, 2012), and to combat crime statewide in Texas.

History

Governor Edmund J. Davis, in order to combat crime statewide in Texas, formed the Texas Special Police on July 22, 1870Ann Patton Baenziger, "The Texas State Police during Reconstruction: A Reexamination," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 72 (April 1969) There were 30

Special Police Officers Special police usually describes a law enforcement agency or unit within a such an agency whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same nation, jurisdiction, or from other personnel within the same agen ...

(SPO) assigned as auxiliary officers throughout the state. On April 22, 1873, the law authorizing the state police was repealed by the newly elected Democrat controlled state legislature.

Mission

The Texas Special Police was formed with the purpose of lending assistance to law enforcement agencies in the state of Texas.

Engagements

On Friday, October 6, 1871, Special Policemen Green Paramore and John Lackey went to a general store in

Nopal ''Nopal'' (plural ''nopales'') is a common name in Spanish for ''Opuntia'' cacti (commonly referred to in English as prickly pear or tender cactus), as well as for its pads. The name ''nopal'' derives from the Nahuatl word for the pads of t ...

in Gonzales County to arrest the outlaw

John Wesley Hardin John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853 – August 19, 1895) was an American Old West outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk icon. Hardin often got into trouble with the law from an early age. He killed his first man at the age of 15, claiming he ...

. SPO Paramore went inside and SPO Lackey stayed at the back door. Paramore told Hardin he was under arrest and demanded his two pistols. Hardin handed the pistols to him butt first, and then did a border roll, whirling the pistols and shooting Paramore in the head, killing him instantly. Officer Lackey opened fire but Hardin shot him four times before fleeing. Lackey survived his wounds. Hardin was indicted, arrested but escaped jail and was never convicted for the murder of Officer Paramore or the shooting of Officer Lackey.

Notable members

* Sheriff Jack Helm of Gonzales County; Texas Special Police officer, 1869–1870; later killed by

during the

Sutton–Taylor feud The Sutton–Taylor feud began as a county law enforcement issue between relatives of a Texas state law agent, Creed Taylor, and a local law enforcement officer, William Sutton, in DeWitt County, Texas. The feud cost at least 35 lives and eventu ...

Line of Duty deaths

Green Paramore, was the only Texas Special Police officer killed in the line of duty. He was shot down by

Paramore was survived by his wife and three children.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Barry A. Crouch and Donaly E. Brice, "The Governor's Hounds The Texas State Police, 1870–1873", University of Texas Press; Original 2011 and Reprint edition (December 1, 2012), * Ann Patton Baenziger, "The Texas State Police during Reconstruction: A Reexamination," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 72 (April 1969). * William T. Field, Jr., "The Texas State Police, 1870–1873," Texas Military History 5 (Fall 1965). {{Portal bar, Texas Defunct law enforcement agencies of Texas History of Texas 1870 establishments in Texas