Texas Border Business
PHARR, Texas – The City of Pharr Police Department is proud to announce that the Caruth Police Institute at UNT Dallas has selected Michael Mata to serve as the first Regional Director for the Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network (Peer Network), Valley/South Texas region in the Pharr regional office.
The Peer Network was established by the Caruth Police Institute at the University of North Texas at Dallas (CPI) to help end first responder suicides in Texas. Mata brings more than 20 years of experience to the position.
A press release issued by CPI announced the selection of Mata:
“Mike Mata’s experience, passion, and commitment to mental health will help connect and train our law enforcement in Texas to help end officer suicides in our state. I am confident Mike is the right person to lead our region in this new endeavor,” said Pharr Police Chief Andy Harvey.
Mata served with the Pharr Police Department from 1998-2019 where he participated in a variety of hostage negotiation training opportunities, including FBI Basic Hostage Negotiator Training. He holds a Master Peace Officer Certification and is a member of the Texas Association of Hostage Negotiators (TAHN). After retiring from Pharr Police Department, Mata worked with the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District as a School Based Law Enforcement Officer.
In his role as Regional Director, Mata will recruit network members and volunteer peers throughout the regional area, provide peer training, and coordinate events throughout the region. “I’m honored to be a Peer Network Director for the South Texas region,” said Mata. I know firsthand the challenge officers face both on and off duty in their daily lives. Having peer support is vital to helping officers’ mental wellness and to help end officer suicide.”
In recent years, suicide among law enforcement officers has been on the rise, eclipsing line-of-duty as the most common cause of death among officers. First responders, including law enforcement officers are at increased risk for suicide because of the environment in which they work and job-related stress. The Texas Peer Network, operated by CPI will address this serious issue through training and technical support to agencies as they recruit and train peers in trauma-informed peer-to-peer response techniques. The goal is to make Texas a zero-suicide state by creating a positive pattern for mental health resource utilization across the state.
“The Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network is the first of its kind in the US and we plan to set the gold standard for others to follow, to end the epidemic of law enforcement suicide,” said B.J. Wagner, Executive Director of CPI. “Setting the first network hub in Pharr demonstrates our mission to serve the entire state of Texas, including our underserved communities, border communities, and regions of Texas so often overlooked. We are thankful to Chief Harvey for his commitment to the network.”
The idea for the Peer Network was first raised by the CPI Advisory Committee in 2019 and was firmly established during the Texas 87th Legislative Session. Senate Bill 64 provides funding for a coordinated statewide effort focused on law enforcement peer-to-peer support and suicide prevention training. The regional office in Pharr, is the first of three regional network offices to appoint a director. The other regional offices are in Belton and Irving. CPI will serve as the State office.
“I believe that strong partnerships are key to the collective success of policing,” said Harvey. “I am grateful to both the Caruth Police Institute and the University of North Texas at Dallas for their commitment to help our law enforcement in Texas. Healthy officers help build stronger communities. Now officers will have a resource that is readily available when they experience crisis.”
“I believe that strong partnerships are key to the collective success of policing,” said Harvey. “I am grateful to both the Caruth Police Institute and the University of North Texas at Dallas for their commitment to help our law enforcement in Texas. Healthy officers help build stronger communities. Now officers will have a resource that is readily available when they experience crisis.”
