Storied West Texas Law Enforcement Officer Launches Campaign for Brown County Sheriff

“When I was growing up, there were two things I wanted to do,” said Billy Bloom, an engaging character with stories to fill hours that could be drawn straight from a true crime novel. “I wanted to be a rodeo cowboy and a police officer.”

Bloom, a bailiff at the Tom Green County Courthouse with more than 31 years of law enforcement experience and the proud owner of a trophy buckle from a Gladewater wild horse race, delivered on both.

“I never liked bullies,” he said. “I never liked people who took advantage of other people.”

When the Brown County native came to San Angelo in 1981 with injuries from an automobile accident, he was limited physically and took a job as security in a local hotel. On the night shift, Bloom got to know several of the local officers and, in 1983, former Sheriff Ernest Haynes sponsored the 22-year-old through the law enforcement academy.

A graduate that same year, Bloom began his career with Angelo State University, working through the transition from campus security to campus police.

“I worked with a lot of really good officers at ASU who had many, many years of experience,” Bloom recalled.

The experience served as a stepping stone and, in 1987, Bloom joined the San Angelo Police Department as a patrolman. He spent nearly eight years at the department, working his way up to being a detective in narcotics, promoting to sergeant in a field supervisor position, working in administration as the DARE/GREAT supervisor, and serving as the admin for the department’s DWI enforcement program.

His career would progress with equal advances, placing him in a commander position over the Hayes County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigations and Patrol divisions, and taking on a pivotal position in the multi-agency, 14-county, West Central Texas Interlocal Crime Task Force from 2000-2011.

Over the nearly one dozen years spent on the task force, Bloom immersed himself in undercover investigations, focusing primarily on drug trafficking and criminal organizations such as cartels, who pushed narcotics through Brown County. By his own estimation, Bloom’s investigative work has put hundreds of offenders behind bars, both on the state and federal level.

When the task force was disbanded, he joined the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office, where he has worked as an investigator ever since.

Leaning back to think for a moment, Bloom called up a story from his rodeo days. He’d been behind the chute getting ready, when his opponent began bragging about how he was gong to win.

“I just kept on working my rope,” Bloom said. But then, an old calf roper standing nearby turned to Bloom. “He said, ‘you know what, Billy? If you’re any good, you don’t have to tell anybody; they’ll tell you.’

“That’s a thing I’ve strived for in my career,” the bailiff said. “It’s stuck with me all these years. I want to make a difference. I’m ready.”

Three decades after getting his start, Bloom says it’s time to bring his skill home. On Monday, Aug. 17, the seasoned officer made a formal announcement of his intentions to run for Brown County Sheriff, promising to be a “working sheriff” with an open door policy.

“My career has been blessed by God and Jesus,” he said. “They have offered me a lot of talents and experience that have prepared me for this position.”

As a resident of Brownwood, Bloom says he’s still in tune with the county’s needs, despite a commute to San Angelo each workday. His campaign is built upon an emphasis on county patrol and education, the latter both for deputies and the community.

“Like any administrator or other officer will tell you, patrol is the backbone of any administration,” Bloom said. “They are the first responders; they can make or break a case. They need all the bells and whistles.”

Bloom noted that three communities within the county—Brownwood, Bangs and Early—have their own police departments. As Brown County Sheriff, Bloom said, he would orchestrate a concerted effort to keep his deputies patrolling the subdivisions, county roads and neighborhoods who rely upon the sheriff’s office as their sole source of law enforcement.

“When they (city police) need our help, we’ll come running, but when our help is no longer needed, we need to be back out in the county where we’re the only source of law enforcement,” Bloom said. “You need to clean up your own backyard before you clean up someone else’s. We have a responsibility to the community.”

In order to meet the demand for increased patrol, Bloom said the department may need to be partially restructured, but vowed that his plans will remain cost efficient and will reflect the allotment for the budget.

“There will be have to be some restructuring on the law enforcement side to maximize the efficiency of the agency and put more deputies in the communities,” he said. “I’m not talking about disrupting salaries; I’m looking at what’s feasible and necessary.”

Although much of his career has centered on drug investigations and trafficking, Bloom says he’s declared a “war on crime,” and his mission is to serve the people of Brown County with compassion and understanding.

“I do not like, will not work with and will not hire an officer who believes in the theory ‘they might beat the rap, but they can’t beat the ride,’” he said.

The old saying, Bloom explained, comes from an “I don’t care what you did; you deserve to be jailed” mindset that was more commonplace when he first started policing than it is now, largely because of the abundance of available training now and the accountability. Having worked undercover, oftentimes very closely with criminals, Bloom has developed a strong sense for human understanding, he said, and believes that police work should be done with a heavy emphasis on compassion and education.

“I have a war on crime—all crime,” Bloom said. “All of them are an issue. The impact depends on the victim, but it’s our responsibility to deliver a desired result through a concerted effort and compassion. Victims expect us to at least care and try.”

The flipside, Bloom said, comes when one tries to understand the motive behind the criminal act and the circumstances that led to that particular incident.

“There is legislative intent behind every law available to us,” Bloom said. “I think we need to look at the reason, in some cases: Why did the person commit the crime?”

The detective recalled a case involving a burglary at an elementary school cafeteria several years prior that was investigated by a fellow sergeant.

“The sergeant went to the school that night and the guy had burglarized the cafeteria and took food because his kids didn’t have anything to eat,” Bloom said. “He (the sergeant) did his duty, but he didn’t do it that night.” The man was arrested the following day on a warrant for burglary, Bloom explained, but only after arrangements were made for the children.

In order to help citizens and officers be proactive, Bloom said the second objective of his campaign involves mandatory training on criminal investigations, crime scene and evidence preservation, follow-up and crime prevention training. The latter will be offered to citizens as well, he said, and through his many years working as both an officer and an educator, Bloom says he has the network to provide quality training at an affordable cost.

Recently, he said, he had a conversation with a store owner who mentioned she had been having troubles with shoplifters, despite having installed monitors. Bloom said he got to looking around and noticed blind spots where mirrors could be cheaply installed as a deterrent.

“As a responding officer to a burglary, I’m looking like, ‘maybe you could do this’ or ‘maybe you could do that,’” he said. “How come our officers aren’t doing that? Knowledge is power, even in basic conversation.”

So far, Bloom is the only candidate to formally announce his intentions to run for Brown County Sheriff. He said he encourages citizens to do their research on him and any other candidates that may file and invites them to call and ask questions or reach out to him via social media.

“I am home grown in Brown County. I grew up in Brown County. I am fourth generation in Brown County,” he said. “My career has been blessed, and I want to bring that back. I believe it has prepared me to bring it back home.”