West Orange-Stark grad earns Rookie of Year honors

Published 9:00 am Monday, July 29, 2024

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West Orange-Stark graduate Jared K. Dupree was selected as the 2024 Police Week Award Recipient for the Houston Police Department’s Rookie of the Year Award. The Police Week Award Ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 7, at the Hilcorp Energy Company Headquarters in downtown Houston.

The former 2017 WOS Mustang standout consistently excels on the evening shift in 19 District as the top producer in felony/misdemeanor arrests, traffic stops, calls for service, and incident reports completed each month despite the shift’s size. He operates solo, efficiently handling calls and proactively addressing high-crime areas through traffic stops and investigations.

In a notable incident on Nov. 17, 2023, Dupree bravely responded to a shooting.  He tactically ran towards the area of gunfire to where the victim was laying and dragged her to a place of cover to provide medical aid. Dupree placed a tourniquet on the victim’s upper left leg and then picked up the victim, hoisted her up over his shoulder, and ran with her through road construction in the complex, potentially saving her life.

In recognizing his work, officials with HPD said Dupree is constant force to be seen every day he is on patrol and epitomizes the new generation officer that every rookie and seasoned patrol officer should strive to become.

Dupree is the son of Linda Platt-Bryant and Keith B. Dupree. He is the grandson of the late Mr. Carl Platt Sr. and the late Mrs. Helen J. Platt of Orange and the late Mr. Earl Dupree Sr. and Mrs. Erma J. Dupree of Dallas.