Joel Harris' journey took him from his parents' video store to Assistant Chief of Police

Assistant Chief Joel Harris' police career took him into adulthood, but he had stars in his eyes growing up.

His parents ran the once-beloved Box Office Video rental locations in Abilene, with two locations north and south.

"That was actually a big part of my life," he said, and Harris worked there through his tenure at Cisco College and Abilene Christian University.

Movies are still a huge part of his life, and he's a fan of movie trivia - he's an expert at figuring out which degree of separation from Kevin Bacon someone is - and has a room in his home dedicated to the magic of cinema.

"It's got a big projector, and I have a lot of stuff from my parents' store - movie marquees and posters and a popcorn machine, that kind of thing," he said. "I just grew up around it."

His favorite film? Not surprisingly, one devoted to Truth, Justice, and the American Way, 1978's "Superman," starring Christopher Reeve. The film is still considered by many to be the best embodiment of the DC Comics character.

He's also a big fan of the crime genre (again, likely not a shock), with 1995's "Heat" and 2007's "No Country For Old Men" among his top picks.

On the Beat

When he was in school, Harris's goal was to go into management. But he soon found himself longing for something more exciting and service-oriented.

"That's how I got steered in this direction," he said of his police career.

Harris's journey to Assistant Chief began when he entered the Police Academy in 2008, graduating with a class of 10 the next year.

He spent two and a half years on patrol, working north and south Abilene. He then applied for a position as a detective, working in the Crimes Against Persons unit.

That means "assaults, robberies, homicides, that kind of thing," he said.

He spent another chunk of time working on property crimes-burglaries, auto theft, etc. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2018 and oversees the Patrol Division's evening shift C Company.

"Then, I moved over to supervise the school resource officers, which was a big change," he said. That job is different from any other one in the department."

He said the SRO program is a great way to engage with youth and the community, including positively interacting with the Abilene Independent School District.

In January 2022, he was assigned a position at the APD's Training Division, overseeing its Peace Officer Academy and its associated hiring process.

I would say that was probably the most difficult and rewarding position I've had here," he said, having spent about a year and a half in that capacity.

"The cadets, we hire them, we get them on, they come from all different walks of life," he said. "Putting them all together is fun to watch, how they form as a group."

A little over a year ago, he applied for the grade of Lieutenant, moving over to supervise D Company, which works evening weekend shifts.

"A really cool thing about it was seeing those same cadets that just graduated," he said. "Many of those guys ended up working evenings on the weekends because that's based on seniority. And so, I was able to work with them again and get to see them continue to grow."

Taking Command

Harris now oversees all patrol functions, including supervision, canine officers, the City's bike patrol unit, mounted patrol, and traffic units. All in all, it's around 130 sworn officers.

"Obviously, having to step back and see the bigger picture of all day-to-day operations is a little different for me, being a little less hands-on than I am used to doing," he said. "I've been a part of many projects with administration in the past, including (the current APD) building. So, I've been around some of those things. But now, I'm inundated with meetings and different projects."

Handling employee issues, whether good or bad, is a new part of his world, but he's enjoyed getting out and meeting patrol officers is a joy.

"And then, there are a lot of emails," he said.

Harris said the Patrol Division is, in many ways, the face of the department and absolutely essential to its goals.

"When someone calls 911, they need an officer - and we have to get one there," he said. "Every shift and every call is different."

In addition to his supervisory and other roles, Harris has served the department for about a few years on their part-time SWAT team, primarily as a sniper.He then transitioned over to the Crisis Negotiations Team where he spent nearly a decade. Chief Harris also spend nearly 15 years on its bicycle unit, spending the past few years as its commander before taking on his new leadership role.

He also spent some years on the department's Honor Guard and helping with internal affairs investigations.

He still works as an active shooter instructor alongside a cadre of 10 people, nine from police and one from the Abilene Fire Department.

As if he does have enough on his plate, he's been doing some teaching through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training in San Marcos, part of Texas State University, on the same topic.

"I'm cutting back on that now that I'm in this position," he said.

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