Patrick Wrinkle
Patrol Lieutenant with Bowie County Sheriff’s Office
Patrick Wrinkle has been a law enforcement officer with the patrol division for Bowie County Sheriff’s Office for the last two years. During that time, he has enjoyed helping people and knowing that he is making the community safer for citizens. He is also very proud to have been promoted to Lieutenant. “Everyone who applied for the position has countless hours of training and experience. I know it was a hard decision, and I am flattered I was chosen,” Wrinkle says. “I am proud to be trusted with the position’s responsibilities.”
Working in law enforcement has been Wrinkle’s dream ever since college. One late night, he was driving back to campus after visiting his girlfriend at another school when he came across a car crash. Upon further inspection, Wrinkle saw that the car was on its side, off the road, in the woods; and a female driver was stuck inside. “I wasn’t able to get her out, but I called 911 and stayed to comfort her until someone arrived. I knew little about first aid then, but I did know to keep the injured person calm and wrap a blanket around them if they go into shock. So, I reassured her and wrapped my sleeping bag around her,” Wrinkle says. “After a little while, she stopped crying and shaking, and the emergency personnel arrived. I received so much joy from helping her I decided that’s what I wanted to do with my life.”
On a regular shift, Wrinkle may respond to calls that require him to enforce the law, protect citizens, answer 911 calls, and support people in their time of need. “Everything in this job is equally important, even though every situation and every call is different,” Wrinkle says. “Every interaction I have can be a learning moment, whether responding to a call or getting advice from my coworkers and family members who served as police officers in the past. Everyone in the Sheriff’s Office brings something to the table that betters the department somehow, and learning from these experiences has made me a better deputy.”
One of the biggest lessons that Wrinkle has learned on the job is that every action has consequences. “Every decision can lead to both good and bad,” Wrinkle says. “Sometimes the best thing you can do is roll with the punches and learn from your mistakes to improve your future.”
Though this career is rewarding, many things make law enforcement difficult, especially when Wrinkle and other law enforcement officers interact with someone who wants to hurt citizens and officers. However, Wrinkle says that his biggest challenge is the sadness and helplessness of notifying family members when a loved one has passed. “Whether it comes from responding to a car crash or answering a phone call from a family member, it’s always hard to be the one who has to break the news. I have done hundreds of these types of calls, and they never get easier. It is hard to see the family going through so much pain and know that there is nothing I can do to ease it,” Wrinkle says. “I just try to reassure and comfort the families the best I can. I try to put myself in their shoes and think of what would help me, and then I do that for the family.”
When Wrinkle has a hard day at work, he knows he can lean on his family and friends. However, it can be challenging when work calls him away from big events. “Officers have to miss holidays, birthdays, and celebrations because every 911 needs to be answered, no matter what time or day it is. Not only is missing those events hard on officers, but it’s also very hard on their families,” Wrinkle says. “However, what motivates me on the tough days at work are my loved ones. Seeing how proud I make them makes me even more proud of my work.”
Because he is honored to wear the badge, Wrinkle tries daily to make a positive impact in the community and the lives of Texarkana citizens, a mission that he says is driven by respect. “I show each person I deal with the same respect I want to be given. By doing this, I have even had suspects shake my hand and thank me after arresting them and bringing them to jail. I also interact with children to show them that the police are their friends. I carry stuffed animals and plastic badges in the back of my patrol car to give to kids when they are scared or in need of comfort, and when I finish a traffic stop, I like to ask parents if I can give kids in the car a plastic badge,” Wrinkle says. “The way I see it, any positive experience with the community will build a good relationship for the future.”