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| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Elwood Mitchell retired as captain investigator for |
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| 8 | 9 | | the Harris County District Attorney's Office on December 27, 2024, |
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| 9 | 10 | | drawing to a close an exemplary career in law enforcement that |
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| 10 | 11 | | spanned more than four decades; and |
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| 11 | 12 | | WHEREAS, In 2017, Woody Mitchell joined the Harris County |
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| 12 | 13 | | Attorney's Office as a chief investigator, and four years later, he |
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| 13 | 14 | | was appointed to captain investigator with the DA's office; his |
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| 14 | 15 | | duties included overseeing the planning, forecasting, and |
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| 15 | 16 | | strategic direction of the Investigative Bureau; a licensed master |
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| 16 | 17 | | peace officer and law enforcement instructor, he supervised a team |
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| 17 | 18 | | of investigators, providing leadership across multiple specialized |
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| 18 | 19 | | divisions such as the Civil Rights and Public Corruption Division, |
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| 19 | 20 | | Digital Forensics Division, and Fugitive Apprehension Unit; and |
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| 20 | 21 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Mitchell spent his entire 41-year career in law |
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| 21 | 22 | | enforcement with Harris County, beginning as a deputy with the |
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| 22 | 23 | | Precinct 5 Constable's Office in 1983; two years later, he joined |
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| 23 | 24 | | the Harris County Sheriff's Office, working as a jailer and deputy |
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| 24 | 25 | | until 1997; he then accepted an investigator position with the |
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| 25 | 26 | | county attorney's office and was assigned to the Children's |
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| 26 | 27 | | Protective Division at the Texas Department of Family and |
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| 27 | 28 | | Protective Services and the Harris County Hospital District; and |
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| 28 | 29 | | WHEREAS, In 2001, Mr. Mitchell was appointed assistant chief |
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| 29 | 30 | | with the Precinct 4 Constable's Office; in that role, he was |
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| 30 | 31 | | responsible for supervising patrol operations for the jurisdiction |
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| 31 | 32 | | as well as overseeing 130 subdivision contract programs and school |
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| 32 | 33 | | police programs with the Cypress-Fairbanks and Tomball Independent |
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| 33 | 34 | | School Districts; he was also assigned to oversee the Civil, Writs, |
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| 34 | 35 | | and Warrant Divisions of the department with responsibility over |
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| 35 | 36 | | investigations in the High-Tech Crime Unit, Domestic Violence Unit, |
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| 36 | 37 | | and Game Room Task Force; moreover, he was directly involved in |
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| 37 | 38 | | leading-edge components of computer forensic technology in law |
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| 38 | 39 | | enforcement and had personnel assigned to the FBI's Greater Houston |
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| 39 | 40 | | Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, During his 14-year tenure as assistant chief, |
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| 41 | 42 | | Mr. Mitchell served with distinction and was recognized for his |
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| 42 | 43 | | leadership and strong relationship with subordinates and staff; his |
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| 43 | 44 | | thoroughness and attention to detail, though sometimes taken to |
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| 44 | 45 | | excess, was recognized as a valuable asset to the department; he |
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| 45 | 46 | | commanded a large contingent of the largest constable's office in |
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| 46 | 47 | | Texas and worked honestly to maintain the harmony and respect of |
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| 47 | 48 | | those under him; regardless of the challenges confronting him, he |
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| 48 | 49 | | maintained his focus on the safety and well-being of his personnel |
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| 49 | 50 | | and the public he was committed to serve; following his tenure with |
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| 50 | 51 | | the department, he served as a major with the Harris County |
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| 51 | 52 | | Sheriff's Office for two years, and, as a member of its Criminal |
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| 52 | 53 | | Investigations Bureau, he was responsible for the integrity of the |
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| 53 | 54 | | office's investigative operations; and |
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| 54 | 55 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Mitchell attended Sam Houston State University, |
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| 55 | 56 | | majoring in criminal justice, and is a graduate of the Texas |
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| 56 | 57 | | Constables Leadership Command College and Texas Constables |
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| 57 | 58 | | Leadership Institute programs of the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement |
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| 58 | 59 | | Management Institute of Texas; he successfully completed the FBI |
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| 59 | 60 | | Law Enforcement Executive Development Series, and he is also a |
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| 60 | 61 | | graduate of the Leadership North Houston program of the Houston |
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| 61 | 62 | | Northwest Chamber of Commerce, where he served as a member of the |
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| 62 | 63 | | board of directors; in addition, he has served on the board of |
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| 63 | 64 | | directors of Cypress Creek EMS; and |
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| 64 | 65 | | WHEREAS, Over the course of his distinguished career with |
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| 65 | 66 | | Harris County law enforcement agencies, Woody Mitchell was |
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| 66 | 67 | | recognized with numerous awards and greatly benefited his fellow |
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| 67 | 68 | | citizens through his skill, professionalism, and longstanding |
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| 68 | 69 | | commitment to public service, and he may reflect with pride on his |
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| 69 | 70 | | outstanding contributions to his profession and to those he |
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| 70 | 71 | | influenced along the way; now, therefore, be it |
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| 71 | 72 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 72 | 73 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Elwood Mitchell on his retirement |
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| 73 | 74 | | as captain investigator in the Harris County District Attorney's |
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| 74 | 75 | | Office and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be |
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| 75 | 76 | | it further |
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| 76 | 77 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 77 | 78 | | prepared for Chief Mitchell as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 78 | 79 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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