Bill Walsh (Lt. Dallas Police Dept. Retired)

He was born in Brooklyn, New York and was a proud Brooklyn Tech alum. In 1972, he married his high school sweetheart, Carole, beginning a love story spanning over five decades.

In 1978, Bill moved his growing family to Texas to join the Dallas Police Department (DPD), where he served as president of his DPD Academy class. Even in his early days on the force, he showed extraordinary courage—most notably when he risked his own life to rescue a man from a burning building– earning the first of countless awards to come. During his 26-year career, he commanded the Crimes Against Children Unit within the Special Investigations Division, where he reshaped child protection and advocacy on a local and national scale.

Rising to the rank of Lieutenant, Bill led the development of numerous groundbreaking programs. He co-founded the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC) and launched the annual Crimes Against Children Conference, now the largest event of its kind worldwide. Last year’s Crimes Against Child Conference hosted attendees from every state and more than 30 countries. He also established the Dallas County Child Death Review Team, the Dallas Sex Offender Apprehension Program (SOAP), and the Child Abuse Response Team (CART) in Dallas. Additionally, he co-authored a successful grant that made the Dallas Police Department one of the first ten Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces in the nation. Recognizing the urgent need to protect women, Bill was instrumental in helping to start the Conference on Crimes Against Women, now a leading national forum dedicated to ending violence against women.

Throughout his career, Bill credited his successes to the unwavering support of his wife, Carole, and the collaboration of many dedicated colleagues, including civic leader Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler and longtime professional partner Leigh Ann Lozano. Sharing his expertise across five continents, he trained countless law enforcement officers, prosecutors, medical personnel, and advocates in the fight against child abuse and family violence. Bill worked with esteemed agencies such as the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), the National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), the Zero Abuse Project, and others. He also trained for the Norwegian National Bureau of Crime Investigation, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse, the U.S. Navy’s Family Advocacy Program, and many other agencies—treasuring the friendships he formed with child abuse professionals from around the globe over the years.

His commitment drew national acclaim, including commendations from Attorney General John Ashcroft for Operation Avalanche, then the largest U.S. Internet child pornography investigation. He served as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal and a Special Investigator with the Texas Attorney General’s Internet Bureau. Among his many honors, Bill was named Dallas Police “Officer of the Year” (1990) and “Supervisor of the Year” (1998)—the first officer in department history to receive both distinctions. He was also recognized with the State of Texas Special Achievement Award, the U.S. Department of Justice Crime Victims Service Award from Attorney General Janet Reno, and the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (2011).

A respected authority on child abuse investigations, Bill was widely published, including The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Portable Guide to Investigating Child Abuse entitled, “Investigating Child Fatalities.” He also contributed articles and chapters to the Texas Bar Journal, the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, the APSAC Advisor, and other prominent publications. Ever dedicated to advocacy, he once responded to a Dear Abby letter, encouraging a victim to report decades-old abuse and seek both healing and justice.

Despite his considerable achievements, Bill remained humble, kind, and endlessly witty. Friends and family knew him for his warmth, generosity, and gift for storytelling —whether reflecting on his Brooklyn childhood, recounting his early police work on the streets of Dallas, or sharing the triumphs and challenges of launching DCAC. He loved his family, music, reading, and staying informed about world events, always ready to help anyone in need.

At home, Bill reveled in woodworking, doted on the family dog, and took immense joy in being a loving father and enthusiastic grandfather. He could fix anything and brought the same passion to building rocket ships and rowboats out of cardboard boxes as he did to creating his beloved conference schedule each year. His remarkable ability to balance a demanding career with a playful, hands-on family life remains a testament to his boundless energy and devotion.

Bill is survived by his wife of 52 years, Carole; son Bill Walsh III (and wife Michelle); daughter Dianna Smoot (and husband Calyn); grandchildren: Aeson Smoot, Mallory Walsh, and Ryan Walsh; brother Charles Walsh (and wife Mary Dunne); sister-in-law Deborah Belive (and husband John); nieces and nephews: Megan Walsh (and husband Ian Mitchell), Evan Walsh, Natalia Belive, James Rex Walsh, and Niamh Walsh; and numerous aunts and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents William and Frances Walsh, and his sister Diana Walsh.

A devoted husband, father, grandfather, mentor, friend, police officer, and storyteller, Bill Walsh leaves an enduring legacy of service, compassion, and innovation. His relentless pursuit of justice for children and women will resonate for generations—just as his warmth, kindness, and unforgettable anecdotes will continue to brighten the lives of all who knew him.

Services will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC), an organization Bill co-founded and fervently supported. Donations can be made on a special DCAC tribute page—the link for this page is below.