No Police Uniform? This Retired Officer Recalls Early Days

When Sgt. Richard Sauseda first started at METRO as a police officer, he dressed in a coat and tie.

METRO didn't have police uniforms - and in fact, there was no official police department. That was back in 1982 when the Metropolitan Transit Authority had just been formed.

Last weekend, Sauseda officially retired after 27 years at MPD - and the department he leaves behind contrasts sharply with the one where he launched his METRO career.

"When I first started, I was wondering within six months if I had made the right choice. We had only one facility - and that facility was so full of holes and potholes, you couldn't even drive a bus in and out, much less a patrol car. It was pitiful," recalls Sauseda, 59.

Chief of Police Tom Lambert recalls that Sauseda was one of the original officers when MPD was formed. "He's been a true leader from Day One," says Lambert. "We're thankful for his service to the organization and the community, and wish him nothing but success in his retirement."

Back in the early years, Sauseda responded to calls on buses - and riders didn't realize they were dealing with police officers. "We were just running around with a coat and tie," says Sauseda. "Luckily, that was only about two months, and then we went into full uniform."

Sauseda says it was difficult to start everything from the ground up at MPD - but the challenges were also rewarding.

"It was hard at first, trying to get legislation. In other states, transit police officers are regular police officers," explains Sauseda. "Here in Texas, the public didn't know any of that. They thought, ‘Are they police officers, or are they security guards?' It took time for the public and other agencies to realize what we were."

Sauseda said MPD felt like a stepchild to other law enforcement agencies back in the early years. "Until we started doing accidents on the freeway, and did it better than HPD did - they didn't respect us," says Sauseda, adding that he has a lot of friends at HPD.

"It changed. We had only our patrol units taking care of citizens - and also working with the sheriff's department and HPD with accidents. Now the rail has come along. And we have so many departments officers can go into now," Sauseda says.

MPD has grown to five divisions: homeland security/support operations; field operations; Houston TranStar; system safety; and management services. That means in addition to patrol officers, MPD's specialists include the K-9 unit, the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) unit trained to handle bomb threats and terrorist threats, and a boat rescue team for hurricanes and floods.

MPD is also among the 3.4 percent of agencies accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in North America, one of 30 in Texas and one of five accredited transit agencies in the United States.

MPD has also garnered prestigious awards. Last year, the department was recognized by the Transportation Security Administration for our transit security system and for the leadership of Chief of Police Tom Lambert.

As a "Carrier of Distinction," METRO was in the top 5 percent of all transit systems nationwide for emergency preparedness.

More recently, one of our finest rescued a woman who fell on a Washington D.C. train track during the Presidential inauguration - making national headlines.

MPD was one of about 18 transit agencies invited to help with security and crowd control during the inauguration events.

While Sauseda is retiring from MPD, he won't be sleeping in late or spend his days playing golf. He's got a new job as security guard to a wealthy River Oaks family.

 His advice to younger police officers starting out at METRO?

"This is a great organization to work with. Start now to think about advancement. Be patient when it comes to the department, as far as the rules we have. We're still young. A lot of things will be starting and opening up for our department, especially with rail," says Sauseda.