Robert Briggs has another shining accolade to his name: recognition as the Southlake Police Department'sbrOfficer of the Year. Detective Corporal Briggs started with the Southlake PD in 2011 and also has 13 yearsbrof military service, including multiple state assignments and a tour in Afghanistan. Get to know this TexasbrRangers-loving family man who takes great pride in getting to serve with the Southlake PD.
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How does it feel to receive the honor? I’m incrediblybrgrateful and honored given the amount of greatbrpeople I work with.br
What motivates you to get up and go to work eachbrday? Many things motivate me: the people I workbrwith and the relationships we have, the people I servebrand the appreciation they display. What motivatesbrme the most, though, is my family and the love forbrwhat I do.br
Tell us a little about your background. I was born inbrCalifornia but grew up in the Fort Hood area. WhenbrI was nearing my high school graduation I decidedbrto enlist in the Army Reserves. I hit 13 years this pastbrSeptember.br
Give us an idea of your current duties andbrresponsibilities. At the Southlake Police Department,brmy primary position is corporal for the CriminalbrInvestigations Division. With that position, I ambrresponsible for assisting with the supervision of thebrdivision’s detectives. I am also currently in charge ofbrtraining one of our new detectives. In addition, I ambralso a member of the North Tarrant Regional SWATbrteam and Southlake Honor Guard.br
What do you find most rewarding about what youbrdo? The pride my family has in me for doing this job.br
You've received numerous commendationsbrand decorations. Is there one that has specialbrsignificance for you? The Bronze Star Medal Ibrreceived while deployed in Afghanistan is mostbrspecial to me.br
What do you consider your greatest achievement? My family; they are an ongoing, ever-rewardingbrachievement. I’m extremely blessed to have my wifebrand two kids. They are amazing.
Tell us a little about your family. What do you enjoybrdoing together? My wife is an excellent accountant.brShe and I met in Germany while serving in the militarybrtogether, and we got married in 2009. My son isbralmost two and loves playing catch. My daughter isbrfour and loves watching Disney movies and reading.br
Traveling is our favorite thing to do as a family.brWe try and take at least one trip every year.br
Aside from traveling, how do you spend yourbrleisure time? A typical day off for me is spent withbrmy family. What we do depends on the time ofbryear and the weather. During baseball season, webrlike going to Texas Rangers games. We’re also FortbrWorth Zoo and Children’s Museum members, and Ibrlike running and playing golf when I get the chance.br
What's something about you that might surprisebrpeople? It is on my bucket list to see the Rangersbrplay in all 30 Major League ballparks. So far, we’vebrbeen to Fenway, Wrigley, Kaufman, Angel’s Stadium,brand of course, Globe Life. Five down, 25 to go!br
That's an ambitious goal! What's your bestbrmemory from a Texas Rangers game? My favoritebrmemory, by far, was being at the ballpark with mybrwife for game six of the 2010 ALCS. I’ll never forgetbrhow loud the crowd was when Neftali Feliz struckbrout Alex Rodriguez, sending us to the World Seriesbrfor the first time. I just remember noise, confetti andbrfireworks. It was awesome.br
What's your favorite game-day snack? You can’tbrhave a game-day party or tailgate without chipsbrand dip.br
What's something on your Christmas wish list thisbryear? My Christmas list is pretty much the samebrevery year. Since we live in Texas and our family isbrspread out, I always wish for a white Christmas andbrthe whole family being together under one roof.br
Anything else you'd like to mention?
I want to thank the Southlake community for thebroutward gratitude they have shown our policebrdepartment over the past couple of months. Frombrhandshakes to baked goods, it has all been uplifting.brI would also like to thank the Southlake Rotary. Mybrfamily and I appreciate everything they did for usbrduring this year's National Night Out.