Texas Border Business
By Selene Rodriguez
Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement and higher education, South Texas College faculty member Victor Valdez Jr. is leading new initiatives to expand public safety training across the Rio Grande Valley and strengthen programs that prepare future first responders.
As the department chair for STC’s public safety programs, he was recently recognized with a National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award for his leadership in expanding training to Weslaco and Starr County and for establishing the college’s first Dual Credit Fire Academy for high school students.
NISOD is a premiere professional development resource that empowers community and technical colleges to achieve educational excellence and create meaningful impact by promoting collaboration, inclusivity and celebrating excellence.
“It’s really about my team, they deserve all the credit,” Valdez said. “I’m proud to see us growing and expanding our resources in both the Law Enforcement and Fire Science programs and I’m honored by this recognition, but it’s truly a team effort. Our excellent faculty and supportive staff work tirelessly behind the scenes to make change happen.”
An STC alumnus, Valdez holds an associate degree in Law Enforcement and a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. He is also recognized as one of the founding faculty members of STC’s Police Academy, but his journey to leadership and his lifelong mission to serve began long before he joined the college.
Raised in Donna in a single-parent household, Valdez knew by the age of 10 that he wanted to become a police officer, a dream that would guide every step of his journey.
“Nobody in my family was in law enforcement, so it really surprised my mother. But I always knew that’s what I wanted to do and everything I did from then on was in pursuit of that goal,” Valdez said. “What drew me to the field was the idea of helping people and holding others accountable, making sure that if someone did something wrong, there would be justice. I also liked the thought of being able to make a difference and help people who couldn’t always help themselves.”
Valdez began his career at just 19 years old with the Donna Police Department, working as a dispatcher and later joined the Alamo Police Department, continuing to dispatch while attending the part-time Police Academy in Pharr. He graduated shortly before turning 21, the minimum age required to become a police officer.
In 1999, Valdez began a 13-year career with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, where he continued to serve his community, refine his skills in law enforcement and discover an unexpected path into teaching and education.
“In 2005, I was reassigned from patrol to the academy and that’s when I discovered how much I enjoyed teaching,” Valdez said. “I started helping new recruits learn how to do the job, sharing the little bit of experience I had so they could build their own skills and confidence. Later on, I became a training coordinator, making sure we followed all the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) requirements and that every officer received the training they needed to succeed.”
It was this experience that led to an invitation to serve as a consultant when STC began developing its first Police Academy in 2012, a collaboration that would eventually inspire him to transition from active law enforcement into higher education full-time.
“It felt natural to me because, as a training coordinator, I had already been off the road for about seven years,” Valdez said. “I’m proud to say I’ve been here since our very first academy, and now we’re on number 43, with hundreds of graduates who have come through our program prepared to serve their communities.”
Today, with more than a decade dedicated to the future of public safety, he has not only helped build the Police Academy and the Law Enforcement associate degree program, but also oversees the college’s Fire Academy and Fire Science associate degree.
Among his many accomplishments, including the launch of a Corrections program, Valdez highlighted the college’s collaboration with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office as one of the achievements he is most proud of. The partnership offers a direct pathway for current jailers to earn their peace officer certification through a flexible academy schedule that accommodates their work shifts.
“We were able to bring in 12 jailers who might not have otherwise had the opportunity to attend our academy, and watching them succeed has been incredibly rewarding,” he said. “Having come from that same agency, it felt like things had come full circle.”
Valdez also received a Spotlight Award, alongside Fire Science Program Coordinator Victor Fonseca, for their work in establishing a Dual Credit Fire Academy in partnership with the Mission Consolidated Independent School District (Mission CISD).
“And again, it’s all a team effort,” Valdez said. “That was a huge accomplishment made possible by STC’s incredible Dual Credit team and the Fire Science program. We were honored to be part of this project and to bring more opportunities to students, and hopefully, we can expand to other districts in the future.”
He added that his long-term goal is to continue expanding the resources available to students at STC’s Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence in Pharr, and to extend those resources across the other campuses where these programs are now offered.
“We couldn’t have academies at other campuses without dedicated faculty. I believe the success of our programs comes from their incredible work and I’m truly grateful to them,” he said. “And of course, receiving recognition is an honor, but the best reward will always be seeing our cadets graduate as dedicated, well-prepared first responders.”
For more information on STC’s Public Safety programs, visit southtexascollege.edu/rcpse/ or call 956-872-6259.
Information Source: STC
