- Phil Ryan
Phillip R. "Phil" Ryan (born in
Oklahoma onAugust 10 ,1945 ) is a former Texas Ranger and the three termSheriff ofWise County, Texas . He entered law enforcement in 1966 at age 21, initially serving as apolice officer inPasadena, Texas . He later joined theTexas Department of Public Safety as ahighway patrolman assigned toHouston andCleveland, Texas . In 1976, he was promoted to highway patrol sergeant, which took him toHumble, Texas . He applied for and was accepted to service in the Texas Ranger Division and served as a Ranger inDecatur, Texas , which also covered Jack, Montague, and Clay counties.As a Texas Ranger, Ryan worked many cases that made him well known not only throughout the state, but throughout the nation. He is most notable for his arrest of
serial killer Henry Lee Lucas , but also was also the Texas Ranger assigned to the Ricky Lee and Sharon Green case, two of the most notorious serial killers in Wise County, Texas history. [http://www.sheriff.co.wise.tx.us/ryan.htm]Wise County Sheriff
After retiring from law enforcement, Ryan entered the private sector, but this would only last for a short time. In 1992, Ryan began his campaign for Wise County Sheriff, running on the Democratic ballot. On March 20, 1992, he took his oath of office for the first of three terms as the elected Sheriff. Under his leadership as Sheriff, the department enjoyed many improvements, including a new crime prevention division, implementation of a county-wide
Crime Stoppers program, and improved information technology."Walker, Texas Ranger"
Ryan was a technical consultant to the "
Walker, Texas Ranger " television program, and briefly appeared in Little Texas' "God Blessed Texas" video with two other Texas Rangers. He currently is retired in Decatur, where he is a security consultant to private businesses.Personal life
Ryan is married to the former Sidney Calvert, his fourth wife. He has three children from his first marriage, Phillip Ryan Jr., a police officer in
East Texas , Ronda Ryan Schweiger ofLas Colinas, Texas , and Daryle Ryan, a formerSan Antonio, Texas police officer.External links
* [http://www.formertexasrangers.org Former Texas Rangers Association] , where Ryan serves as a Director
* [http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/texas_rangers Official site of the Texas Rangers law enforcement agency]
* [http://www.texasranger.org Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum]References
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