Sadly, we want to let all of our residents and stakeholders know about the loss of Keller Police Captain Brenda Slovak. Many of our residents have met Captain Slovak through the years at Neighborhood Town Meetings, Town Council meetings, community events, or perhaps during an unfortunate occasion where police assistance was needed. Westlake was honored to have Captain Slovak serve our community since we first contracted with KPD for police services in 2002.
Captain Slovak would have celebrated a 30 year anniversary with the Keller Police in February and was the third woman hired by the department. As a trailblazing veteran officer, she actually served for a total of 37 years in her law enforcement career.
Many of us were honored to work with Captain Slovak and witnessed first hand her resilience and dedication to the community of Westlake, as well as Keller. In fact, it was Capt. Slovak that was instrumental in cracking the case with her passion and talent in criminal investigation, bringing justice to the victims of a multi-million dollar and multi-jurisdictional burglary ring that affected several residents in Westlake. Her colleagues noted that while she was tough as nails, she was very compassionate and persevered through every challenge.
Visitation and viewing for Captain Slovak will tomorrow, Friday, July 28, 2017, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Lucas Funeral Home, located at 1601 S. Main, Keller, TX 76248.
The memorial service will be held Saturday, July 29, 2017 at 10:00 am at Keller First United Methodist Church, located at 1025 Johnson Road, Keller, TX 76248. The memorial will be followed by a graveside service at Restland Memorial Park located at 13005 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75243.
The family would appreciate those attending the celebration of Captain Slovak's life to wear purple or a hint of purple signifying the fight against pancreatic cancer.
We ask that our Westlake residents and stakeholders join us as we remember Captain Brenda Slovak and her family in our thoughts and prayers, honoring her legacy with gratitude for her and her service.
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We thought you would appreciate reading the special words received from KPD Chief Mike Wilson about Captain Brenda Slovak.
Words from Keller Police Department Chief Mike Wilson:
It's with a heavy heart that I write to you all this morning to share that at 11:48 PM last night, Captain Brenda Slovak passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. A police officer for 37 years, Brenda has been a member of the KPD family for nearly 30. During that time, she was a study in perseverance as she moved through the ranks from patrol officer to captain.
She served in every division in the department, including bike patrol, mounted patrol and SWAT. And as you know, she also took on the duties of a Hostage Negotiator Commander and was later selected to lead the North Tarrant Regional SWAT team. She was also instrumental in our pursuit of national accreditation and served as a CALEA assessor for many years. Her passion, though, was for criminal investigation, and her victories included the busting of a multimillion-dollar multijurisdictional burglary ring and the high-profile Michele Williams murder case.
In her nearly three decades with our department, she has influenced every aspect of KPD. She has been a friend and a partner, a commander and a mentor. She reminded us to "Slow Down to Speed Up" and she modeled for us on a daily basis what it means to be patient, compassionate, loyal, and resilient in the face of challenges large and small. She will be sorely missed, but I'm confident that her legacy will continue to empower this organization in our mission to protect this community and work toward a safer world.