ABOUT RODNEY THOMAS: The Journey to Serving Dallas County
Rodney Thomas was raised in the South Bronx New York neighborhood in a single-parent home. Despite drug dealers on every corner, Rodney’s mother, grandmother and two aunts were instrumental in keeping him on the right path. These tremendously bold women saw to it that Rodney went to school every weekday and church on the weekends. In high school, Rodney played football and was even good enough to play semi-pro.
Rodney’s background perfectly positioned him for his 24-year career in law enforcement. His first job after he was sworn in was as a Hospital Police Officer in the most violent hospital in New York City. There he dealt with crimes from domestic violence to armed offenses. He also gained experience aiding victims of sexual assault and began volunteering on his own time to help victims later on in his life.
In 1995, Rodney advanced into a position as a Federal Correctional Officer at the Federal Bureau of Prisons where he learned how an inmate facility operates and what it takes to get passing evaluations. Staying within the Department of Justice, Rodney then transferred to Miami, Florida to work as a federal officer for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, charged with conducting high-risk criminal escorts both within the United States and Internationally.
At this time, Rodney recognized a need for addressing gang activity in the area and at the detention center in Miami, and he pushed for the creation of a Gang Intelligence Unit. This unit conducted investigations, identified gang members and their affiliations, and worked with special agents to apprehend offenders. Rodney worked with a multi-agency Gang Task Force run by Miami Dade PD And Broward Sheriff’s Office.
In 2000, Rodney returned to New York and worked with the Federal Reserve Police where he was assigned protection duties that included various state and national dignitaries. In 2016 Rodney moved back to Florida to work with the Miami-Dade Police Department until an injury in 2017 led him to an upper management job in corporate security in New York, then the great city of Dallas, Texas. Rodney chose to make Dallas home, and just like he saw a need for a new unit in Miami, he recognizes a need for new leadership in the Dallas County Sheriff’s office.
Rodney’s Law Enforcement Certifications
- Hostage Negotiation
- Organized Crime
- Highway Drug Trafficking
- International Money Laundering from Undercover Drug Operations
