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Donna Turnbow, one of DeLeon’s newest
police officers, was born in Germany and traveled extensively with her
military family, but calls Rotan, Texas home.
“I was born on an army base,” Turnbow
said. “My dad was in the military, and my mother’s dad was in the
military. We traveled a lot but we moved to Rotan in about 1976, so I
consider that my hometown. I graduated from there in 1989.”
 After
taking a semester off, Turnbow went to New Mexico Military Institute.
“I signed up for the commissioning program because I thought I wanted
to be a lieutenant in the Army,” she said. Despite what she thought
she wanted, Turnbow admits that it didn’t take long to realize that a
military career did not seem like the right choice. “I also thought
about being a lawyer,” she said. “But I eventually decided to be a
police officer.”
Turnbow cites, “Being able to make a
difference” and “Believing that to protect and serve is more than a
slogan” as the biggest factors in her final career decision.
“There’s just so much more you can do as
a police officer,” Turnbow said, “as far as helping people. I like
being able to get out and meet people, talk to people and make a
difference and set an example.”
So after coming to that realization, it was off to the police academy.
“I went to West Central Texas Law
Enforcement Academy in Abilene,” Turnbow said. “Les Wilkerson and
Carolyn Putnam were my instructors.”
Although she speaks highly of those
instructors, and of her experience there, Turnbow said that some
aspects of police work were contrary to her personality.
“I never thought of myself as ending
being a police officer,” Turnbow said. “I was real shy growing up and
I could never think of myself as charging after someone saying ‘stop
that fighting’ or cuffing someone for disorderly conduct or public
intoxication and taking them to jail. That’s just something I never
thought of.”
Ironically, Turnbow loved to watch
television shows about police officers back then, but “can’t stand
them now.”
“They exaggerate stuff so much on those
shows,” Turnbow said. “Cases aren’t solved in an hour, for one thing.
Too many people think that it’s like the CSI (Crime Scene
Investigation) show.
After graduating from the academy,
Turnbow said she received a “harsh” introduction to the world of law
enforcement.
“I first went to the 33rd Judicial
District Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET) in Marble Falls,” Turnbow
said. “I had a six month contract with them to work undercover. It was
scary.”
Turnbow said that although she had
“textbook” knowledge, she was not prepared for the world of an
undercover officer. “They don’t leave you (undercover) longer than six
months,” Turnbow said, “because after that your world is kind of
unbalanced.” The once shy little girl got tough in a hurry, and now,
when she speaks about being stabbed during that six month commitment,
she does so very matter-of-factly. But she admits that it took longer
to recover mentally, than it did physically. “But you have to get back
out there,” Turnbow said. “If you don’t get right back on the horse
you’ll never ride again.”
After leaving Marble Falls, Turnbow’s
work included a stint in Fisher County as a constable. “And at the
same time I worked as a juvenile officer for Recor Sweetwater,”
Turnbow said. “It’s a rehabilitative service for juveniles.”
As Turnbow goes on to describe her work
there, including the design and implementation of a “boot camp”
program for troubled youth, it’s easy to see that she does truly enjoy
her work. “I felt great for them (the juveniles),” she said, “because
they were happy. They were given something to do, and they did it.
They were proud.”
After three and a half years there,
Turnbow moved on to Ralls, Texas, where she worked for five years, and
then Petersburg, Texas for five years, and later Hamlin. In several of
these towns, she was the first female officer. Since the DeLeon City
Council approved hiring Turnbow and Officer Heather Harding at the
same time in December, they share the distinction of being the first
female officers (as far as anyone remembers) here.
Turnbow said her most recent law
enforcement work had been in Eastland, but she’s enjoying her work in
DeLeon more, in part because it’s a smaller town, and department,
which affords her the opportunity to work on every aspect of a case.
“In a smaller town, you’re able to reach
out to people,” Turnbow said. “I want to know my neighbors.”
She said that Chief Ralph Dickey has made her transition here easier.
“Ralph has been great,” Turnbow said.
“He’s patient and he’s hilarious. He makes it easier to do your job.”
In her spare time, Turnbow, who is
single, enjoys writing, and has a respectable portion of a book
completed. She also constructed a diorama for a “21st Century Soldier”
to win an advertising contest. Her four-year-old tabby cat, Sox, also
plays a big part in how she spends her spare time. “He actually steals
my socks,” Turnbow laughs. “I have to hide them.”
Turnbow’s family -- her father Gerald and
her mother Marilyn, of Rotan, and her brother Jerry Turnbow -- are all
important factors, and influences, in her life. “My brother’s married
and has five kids,” she said.
“He’s an off-shore worker. He’s been
doing it so long that he’s a barge master. He’s in Egypt right now,
but he lives in Abilene.”
Turnbow said her mother, Marilyn, enjoys
writing poetry, which she describes as spiritual and “very uplifting.”
“My mother is a very good woman,” Turnbow
said. “I just hope I can be half the person she is, because she’s
great.”
Although it’s obvious that Turnbow enjoys
spending time with her family, it’s apparent that DeLeon is quickly
starting to feel like home.
“This is where I want to be,” Turnbow
said. “I’m tired of moving. This is a nice town. This is where I’d
like to retire.” |
