Recognizing Chief Paul Cairney

Floor Speech

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Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the tremendous contributions of outgoing Argyle ISD Police Chief Paul Cairney, who has served with the school district since October 2014. He was named Police Chief in May 2015. Under his capable direction, the stated mission of the AISD Police Department to protect and serve Eagle students, staff and the community has been fulfilled as Chief Cairney and his staff have provided a safe educational environment for students and staff.

Chief Cairney is a 1992 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds masters degrees from Liberty University in Religious Studies and from Colorado State University Global in Criminal Justice. In addition, he attained a PhD in Leadership from Louisiana Baptist University and Theological Seminary.

After two decades serving in the U.S. Air Force, Chief Cairney retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. During his extensive military service overseeing security forces at more than ten Air Force bases in both the United States and abroad in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, and Iraq, he served in multiple leadership positions in law enforcement and emergency preparedness.

His last duty assignment was as Commander/Police Chief of a 400-plus police force which included U.S. military members and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and United Kingdom Ministry of Defense civilians. He worked closely with DoD schools to improve classroom safety and was instrumental in developing training for active shooter scenarios on DoD school campuses.

Within Argyle ISD, Chief Cairney has developed a robust and proactive security program that has garnered positive national attention. The AISD Police Department engaged in crucial partnerships with local police and fire departments to force multiply the district's ability to prepare and respond to emergency hazards, both natural and man-made. To prepare staff, they have hosted large active shooter training exercises and deployed updated communications technology across all campuses. This has afforded the district the capability to identify concerns and address potential problem situations as well as alert staff to rapidly respond to crisis events and emergencies.

In addition to his military and law enforcement career, Chief Cairney is to be commended for the philanthropic contributions of time, talents, and funding as he and his wife, Lynn, established Thor and Athena's Promise Sanctuary. Through this effort they have rescued many neglected and abused horses and brought them to their ranch to provide rehabilitation and a safe refuge. Chief Cairney also honorably served as a member of my Service Academy Advisory Board.

I am pleased to join the students, families, staff and administration of Argyle ISD in saluting Chief Cairney's exemplary tenure and public service to the school district and community. We wish him all the best as he moves to Colorado to take another law enforcement position.

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