Heath DPS Sergeant Brian Burton Retires after 25 Years of Public Service

/in
Note: This entry was last modified on September 16, 2021: 3:13 pm and may be out of date.

On Wednesday, September 8, Heath DPS Sergeant Brian Burton concluded his final day on duty and stepped into retirement after 25 years of public service, 18 of which were spent protecting the Heath community.

“From graduating as the Valedictorian of his peace officer academy and second overall in both the fire academy and fire investigator schools, to his final days serving Heath, Sergeant Burton has always represented the highest ideals of our profession,” said Chief Brandon Seery. “While we are going to miss him tremendously, we are happy that he is about to enter a new and exciting chapter in his life.”

Sergeant Burton began his career with the City of Plano in 1996 as a 911 Dispatcher, where he was promoted to supervisor. He joined the Heath DPS in 2003 as an Officer in the Patrol Division. From 2008 to 2016, Sergeant Burton served as Community Resource Officer and Detective. In 2016, he was promoted to his final rank of Sergeant.

During his tenure, Sergeant Burton was instrumental in many situations and investigations, including the memorable incident in 2009 when a Rockwall ISD bus left the roadway and landed in a pond. The bus was submerged in the water with 19 high school students on board, five of whom were injured. The bus driver received a head injury due to the impact of the accident and was unable to physically remove himself and was in waist-high water.

Sergeant Burton was one of the first to arrive on scene and without hesitation entered the water and boarded the school bus and was able to successfully extract the bus driver. Sergeant Burton received a Letter of Commendation for his heroic efforts.

“It has been incredible and very humbling to work beside all of the DPS officers these past 18 years,” said Sergeant Burton.  “Their work ethic and commitment to serving others is amazing.  I am proud of all of our accomplishments together and look forward to seeing updates on the continued growth of the organization.”

While Sergeant Burton says he will miss wearing the Heath DPS uniform and the pride that he felt each time he pinned on the badge, he is looking forward to more time to spend with his wife, Stacy, and their children, Megan and Jonathan.