Police Chief Catches Suspected Burglars In the Act, Makes Arrests
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GRAND PRAIRIE (CBSDFW.COM) - Apparently, the chief of the Grand Prairie Police Department doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk. The law enforcement leader recently slapped the cuffs on two people allegedly caught breaking into a house.
Chief Steve Dye was driving through a neighborhood in west Grand Prairie this week, when he saw a man and woman, on bicycles, slowly riding by homes on El Paso Street. At some point, the pair got off their bikes and walked around the back of a house.
Department spokesperson Lyle Gensler said the suspects appeared out of place to Chief Dye. "They went up to a house, that didn't look like they really belonged. Most people go in the front door [and] these guys kind of went around the side. So, he decided to park and get out and investigate."
At the time of the incident Chief Dye was in an unmarked SUV, but was wearing his uniform. Gensler said that isn't unusual. "He always wears his uniform, in case he wants to get out of that car [and] take a police action."
It didn't take long after getting out of the vehicle that Chief Dye felt something nefarious was going on. "He looked through the back fence and noticed that there was somebody prying the rear window out of the house," Gensler said, adding, "which is a clear indication that these guys were burglarizing the house."
The Chief immediately arrested the pair and called for a patrol car.
Gensler said having the head of a police department out on patrol may be strange in some places, but it's not in Grand Prairie. "Residents really don't expect to see, or hear, of their Chief out catching bad guys. But in this case this is a history with our Chief, he constantly does it. This is just one of many different occasions where he has either assisted in an arrest or in this case self-initiated, made an arrest and stopped a burglary from happening."
Gensler says Chief Dye typically goes out on patrol in between meetings and officers appreciate it. "We know... if he's not in his office he still has that passion, the desire to work patrol, chances are he's out there driving around. When he does this, and makes arrests, he can actually say, 'I understand what you mean when you make an arrest,' because he's doing it. He's done it."
As for those suspects, police believe they were trying to get inside the house to steal stereo equipment.
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