Patrick is a retired homicide detective with 38 years of law-enforcement experience. He has worked investigations for two different central Texas law enforcement agencies, the state of Texas and as a civilian investigator for the US Army in Afghanistan. Patrick has extensive experience in homicide investigations; and has been featured on the Discovery Channel for his work on a cold case homicide that resulted in five lengthy prison sentences. He was a member of the SWAT team...
Years Active: 2013 – Present “If ordinary people like me can learn skills and become helpful, anyone can,” said TEXSAR volunteer and Division Lead for North Texas, Meg Hinkley. It helps to have a heart to serve, which she says she sees in her fellow TEXSAR volunteers. Meg joined TEXSAR in 2014 and became Division Lead in January 2024. Her leadership was integral to TEXSAR’s response to the Panhandle Wildfires in March 2024. It has been quite a...
Years Active: 2014-Current “I’ve always been one to volunteer. Following my family’s example of community service, I had volunteered with church, scouts, and other local activities. My son, Brandon, was one of the founding members of TEXSAR and often told me of their service to Texas,” said long-time volunteer Penny Goering. Her son was involved in the well-publicized search and rescue of Cathy Frye in Big Bend State Park in 2013. “Though we were visiting family, Brandon...
Years Active: 2014-2022 “I believe God made us to be servants, not consumers. Our service with TEXSAR is part of that,” said Laura Norman as she discussed the involvement that she and her husband, Edward, had with TEXSAR from 2014 to 2022. As a fireman/paramedic in 2014, Edward worked for Fort Bend County Emergency Management and knew about TEXSAR. He believed it was a match to Laura’s desire to serve others. TEXSAR also met his goals...
“Volunteering with TEXSAR illuminated my feelings about wanting to help others, to do as much as I can for as many as I can,” said long-time volunteer Ken Jamilosa, “and that has affected my career choices and involvement as a volunteer for various organizations.” Ken joined TEXSAR as a member of Central Division about three weeks before the disastrous Memorial Day Wimberley Floods of 2015. “I went on one missing persons mission and shortly after the first...
20 Years, 20 Stories – Andy Anthony – From Disaster to Service Years Active: 2008 – Present Major disasters change lives. The ripples move from those who experienced the disaster to those who witnessed it, to those who heard about it or saw images from the scenes. 9/11 was one of those types of events and for Andy Anthony the events forced him to challenge himself with, “Why am I watching others suffer?” Andy reflects on his childhood and...
Years Active: 2014-Present When you understand stunt work and search-and-rescue (SAR) work, it makes sense that someone who excels in one could excel in another. Allen Robinson, a TEXSAR volunteer since 2014, found work as a stuntman thanks to a newspaper ad in 1985. His sense of adventure and athletic skills found a home in the stunt field. He has appeared in more than 160 movies and television shows and has been the stunt double for many famous...
The Next Generation of ADIAT We are excited to announce that a new version of the Automated Drone Image Analysis Tool (ADIAT) is now available for public use. Originally released in 2019, ADIAT is an open source platform and set of computer vision algorithms that can be used to identify areas of interest in images from UAVs. This latest release includes a revamped user interface, significant performance improvements, a new detection algorithm, and advanced features to enhance...
Austin, TX – March 1, 2024 – In response to the devastation caused by the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR) will deploy a team to support our fellow Texans. They will deliver supplies and support local agencies on the ground. TEXSAR volunteers will tackle whatever need the requesting agencies have of them TEXSAR volunteers are committed to service above self as Texans Helping Texans. Donations are needed to make their service possible;...
TEXSAR has been selected as one of the top TWO finalists in the Search and Rescue category for the Land Rover Defender Service Awards! We made it this far – BECAUSE OF YOU! Thank you for showing up for TEXSAR! Thank you for your support, votes, sharing, outreach, and everything it took to get us across that finish line! It was incredibly humbling to see our community, supporters, and Texas rally around our team for this opportunity. We’ve been invited to an...