DPS opens office in courthouse

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    Jackson County Law enforcement has welcomed new faces in the last month with the addition of a Department of Public Safety office in the County Courthouse. Four troopers joined the area, including Sergeant Garrett Ritter, formerly of North Texas.
    Ritter, a 12-year veteran of DPS, was recently promoted to sergeant and moved to Jackson County to fill a newly-approved slot. 
    “I joined DPS in 2005, and this past June I promoted to sergeant,” he said, “It took some time getting here, finding a house and all that.”
    Placement for sergeants is competitive, particularly the newly-promoted, who almost always wind up near the Texas/Mexico border, and Ritter feels fortunate to have won the spot in Jackson County. 
    The office has space for four troopers plus Ritter, with three currently-filled spots. Also in the office are Drew Alexander, Justin Nixon, and Luke Garza. 
    Joining Ritter in Edna are his wife Cortney and their two children.
    “We like the town,” he said. “We’ve met some nice people already and we are really enjoying settling in.”