Walter Hodge Rankin

Walter Hodge Rankin, age 90, passed away on January 5, 2013. He was born April 2, 1922 near Cleveland, TX, to William and Lillie Rankin. He is preceded in death by a son, Kenn Rankin, a sister, Grace, and two brothers, W.T. and Carl. Walter is survived by his wife Mildred Ann and his three sons, Walter Jr., James, and Tommy Rankin, all of Houston.

One of Constable Walter Rankin’s first jobs was at Weingartens in Houston where County Clerk Anita Rodeheaver was also employed. They have maintained their friendship over the years.

Constable Rankin joined the Navy during World War II and was assigned to submarine duty in the Pacific aboard the Flying Fish. After the war, he returned to Houston and within 30 days of his discharge, he joined the Houston Police Department. For over 18 years, the Constable worked in all facets of law enforcement and became the head of the Hit and Run Division. He became the first police officer to receive the 100 Club award for diligent work over and above the call of duty.

The Constable became aware of the need for honest and efficient service within the Harris County Constable Office and early in 1964 he left the police department to become a candidate for the Constable’s office. He assumed his office as Constable, Precinct Number One in January 1965 after being elected by an overwhelming majority.

His leadership and dedication to service have enabled his office to become the largest in the state in civil process. The Houston Bar Association has commended Constable Rankin for prompt and efficient service. Through his efforts, civil process in Harris County is now computerized and his system has served as a model throughout the nation for other agencies.

His efforts established a Worthless Check Warrant Division which annually recovers millions of dollars of restitution for area merchants while passing the costs of that division to the defendants who write the worthless checks through additional fines and fees. Constable Rankin achieved his goal of passing the costs of his office, where possible, to those parties involved in suits or worthless checks, thereby taking that burden from the taxpayers. The Constable’s tireless efforts with the Texas Legislature have helped in the passage of bills providing revenue for Harris County by allowing the imposition of those fees and fines. A fact not overlooked by Commissioners’ Court when they asked him to stay another 30 days.

The Mental Health Warrant Division and the Juvenile Division is unique to his office. These divisions have the sole responsibility of the service of process regarding mental health and juvenile matters in Harris County.

The Constable has been a dedicated, full-time hands-on office holder demanding honesty, efficiency of operations, and progressiveness which has resulted in savings for the taxpayers of Harris County.

In addition to service process, the Constable has donated security for special events throughout Harris County such as the March of Dimes Walk, Junior Diabetes Association, University Children’s Hospital at Hermann, and over 1,000 civic clubs, churches, service clubs and other nonprofit organizations. His regular and reserve staff volunteered in excess of 20,000 hours annually.

The Constable has always believed in continuing education. His training experience began in 1948 with Texas A&M University. In cooperation with Texas A&M he offered the first night courses for persons interested in becoming peace officers and trained over 1,000 officers.

He has served as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Law Enforcement and Security Training for Texas A&M University Engineering Extension Service, served on the Advisory Board for University of Houston Criminal Justice Center, and has been a member of the Texas Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations charged with the responsibility of developing model rules for law enforcement officers in Texas.

Two Texas Governors appointed Constable Rankin to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education. He has served as chairman of that agency, which is charged with training and licensing of all Texas peace officers.

The Constable is past President and Chaplain of the Justice of the Peace and Constable Association of Texas, and he has served as chairman of their legislative committee.

Services for Constable Rankin will be Wednesday, January 9, at one o’clock at Oak Forest Baptist Church, 1700 W. 43rd Street, with Dr. Richard Walters officiating. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery, 1101 Antoine Dr, Houston.