Austin Police Department Honor Guard

09/01/2026

It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of Retired Senior Police Officer James Schramm #999.

Officer Schramm was surrounded by family when he passed away on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at the age of 77. Officer Schramm, a U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran, began his law enforcement career with the Austin Police Department with APD’s 65th Cadet Class on October 5, 1981. Officer Schramm was commissioned on April 16, 1982, and worked as a Patrolman in the north central area of Austin (Adam, Edward, and Ida) for most of his career. Of the 25 years Officer Schramm served, the highlight of his career was with the APD Motors Unit where he spent 12 years. Upon Officer Schramm's retirement on December 30, 2007, he went on to work as the APD's DWI unit as the Intoxilyzer Operator for an additional five years.

Officer Schramm is survived by his wife, Anne, five children: Susanne Bruton, Rebecca Schramm, Michael Schramm, Timothy Schramm, Theodore Schramm, and five grandchildren. Additionally, Officer Schramm is survived by two brothers-in-law, retired Austin Police Officer, Sgt Mike Barger, currently with Lakeway P.D. and APD Lt. Robert Barger.

Visitation and Funeral with military and police honors are as follows:

Friday, September 4, 2026

Location for Rosary and Funeral Mass:
Saint William Catholic Church
620 Round Rock W Dr
Round Rock, TX 78681

Rosary
9 a.m.

Mass
10 a.m.

Police Honors Immediately following mass in the church parking lot

Internment with Military Honors to follow at

Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery and Prayer Garden
330 Berry Ln
Georgetown, Tx 78626

Please keep the Schramm family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

07/05/2026

It is with heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of retired Senior Sgt Bill “The Rock” Alexander #803. Senior Sgt Alexander, age 83, passed away on June 28, 2026 due to ongoing medical issues. Senior Sgt Alexander began his career as a cadet with the 48th Cadet Class on November 2, 1972 and was commissioned as Patrolman on April 13, 1973. Prior to joining the Austin Police Department Senior Sgt Alexander served in the United States Air Force and served in the Navy Reserves while he was employed with APD. During his over 24 year career he served as a Senior Patrol Officer and was later promoted to Police Sergeant on January 6, 1980. He went on to work several positions within the department including Patrol Sgt, Auto Theft, Narcotics and Major Crimes. He was promoted to Senior Sgt on February 5, 1984 and later retired on September 27, 1997. Senior Sgt Alexander is survived by his wife of 47 years, Retired Austin Police Sergeant Karen Alexander, his daughter Margorie Griffin, 6 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Please keep the Alexander family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Funeral arrangements are as follows;

Funeral: July 6, 2026 at 11:00 am
Gabriel’s Funeral Chapel
393 N. Interstate 35
Georgetown, TX 78628

Internment to immediately follow;
IOOF Cemetery
1117 E. Seventh St
Georgetown, TX 78626

03/13/2026

01/27/2026

It is with great sadness we regret to inform you of the passing of former APD Range Master Robert “Bob” G. Housman.

Robert “Bob” G. Housman, Sr., age 86, of Spencer, South Dakota, passed away and is now reunited with his beloved wife, Karen A. Housman, who preceded him in death.

Bob proudly served in the United States Air Force from 1959 until his retirement in 1982, concluding his distinguished career as the Chief of Training at Lackland Air Force Base. His dedication to service continued after the military when he became a Floresville Police Officer. Soon after, he found the role that perfectly matched his lifelong passion: Range Master for the Austin Police Department. He served there for 20 years, often saying, “those were the best years of my life.” With his deep love of fi****ms and training, it truly was his dream job.

Bob was known for his warmth, humor, and the countless stories he loved to share. He had friends everywhere he went, and anyone who crossed his path was greeted with a smile, a handshake, and usually a tale worth remembering.

He leaves behind three children who adored him: Judy Netek (Don), Bobby Housman, and Jeannie Mutchler (Jason). He was a proud grandfather to seven grandchildren—Christine Netek, Kindall Divine (Ryan), Donny Netek, Justin Housman (Lauren), Scott Mutchler (Sarah), Kasye (Cody), and Amy (Brian)—and a great‑grandfather to twelve great‑grandchildren who brought him immense joy.

A memorial gathering will be held at the Austin Police Association Hall, 5817 Wilcab Rd., on February 14th at 2:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome to come as they are and share stories, memories, and moments that celebrate Bob’s life and the many people he touched.

01/27/2026

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/pflugerville-tx/eugene-blomstrom-12705824

01/15/2026

https://www.providencejonesfuneralhome.com/obituaries/horace-hodge?sfnsn=mo

12/29/2025

It is with great sadness that we write to inform you of the sudden and untimely passing of Patrol K9 “Jax”.

Jax, an Eastern European native Belgian Malinois, began his training with his partner Senior Police Officer (SPO) Nate Wagner, in August of 2016. Over more than nine years of service, Nate and K9 Jax made 227 arrests including nine apprehensions. Among those arrested, 11 were wanted for murder. In addition to assisting APD Patrol, K9 Jax supported SWAT, the Violent Crimes Task Force, the Special Victims Unit (SVU) and the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force. He also responded on multiple occasions to assist the Travis County Sheriff’s, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and Hays County Sheriff’s Office.

For those who know Nate personally, you know he is always joking around and has a goofy sense of humor. Those traits traveled right down the leash to K9 Jax. Together, they were a team that brought plenty of laughs. K9 Jax always exited the police car with his signature spin moves before he started tracking down suspects.

On December 27, 2025, K9 Jax suffered a medical complication and was rushed to the veterinarian. Despite the efforts of dedicated and talented doctors, his condition was beyond recovery. Although Jax was deteriorating quickly and could barely stand, he made one last trip around the room, hoping someone would throw his beloved Kong one final time. Jax passed away shortly after 7 p.m. lying next to Nate and his wife, Andi.

K9 Jax is the first APD Patrol K9 to pass away while still actively working. He was scheduled to retire in less than two weeks, on January 8, 2026. K9 Jax can rest easy knowing that his nine K9 Fur-Brothers will continue to follow the scent to find dangerous criminals and keep each and every one of us safe.

Please keep SPO Wagner, his family and all of Patrol K9 in your thoughts during this difficult time.

12/23/2025

It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of Senior Sergeant Donye Bailey #308. Sr Sgt Bailey began his distinguished career as an Austin Police Officer on February 10th, 1969 as a cadet and was commissioned on June 6, 1969. He was a patrolman until his promotion to Police Sergeant on November 30th, 1973 where he remained in CID (Homicide) until he was elected as Travis County Sheriff on January 1st 1981. After resigning his position with Austin Police Department, he remained the elected Sheriff of Travis County until July 1992.

Please keep the Bailey family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Funeral services and interment are as follows:

Service:

Monday, December 29, 2025
Visitation at 12pm, Service at 1pm
Manchaca Baptist Church
1215 Farm to Market 1626, Manchaca TX 78652

Police Honors will be rendered after the service and held at the cemetery:

Onion Creek Cemetery
11608 Chapel Ln
Austin, Texas 78748

06/19/2025

Sergeant Michael L. King #4127 passed away unexpectedly on Monday, June 16, 2025, at the age of 53 after medical complications. Sgt. King began his career with the department on June 28, 1999. He was commissioned on September 24, 1999. Sgt King began his career on Patrol in Southeast Austin and transferred up to Northwest evening shift a few years later. On October 1, 2003, he was promoted to the rank of Detective and promoted to Sergeant on November 4, 2012. Sgt King was assigned to the Violent Crimes Division - Crisis Intervention Unit where he was passionate about serving our mental health community.

He is survived by his four daughters Shelby, Raegan, Samantha, and Kylie King, his parents Samuel and Lesli King, sister Kasey and husband Jed Kennis, sister Karey and husband Cody Smith, along with many nieces and nephews.

Please continue to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate through this difficult time. If you would like to support the King family, contributions can be made through the Austin Police Benevolent Foundation.

Funeral services will be as follows:

Visitation / Funeral
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Great Hills Baptist Church
10500 Jollyville Rd
Austin, TX 78759

Visitation
Family 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Public 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Funeral Service
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

***Police Honors – Immediately following service in the church parking lot**

Internment – 1 p.m.
Cook Walden / Capital Park Cemetery
14501 N IH 35
Pflugerville, TX 78660

06/17/2025

It is with heavy heart that we inform you of the unexpected passing of Retired Detective Robert “Slick” Benfer. Det. Benfer passed away while recovering at home from pneumonia.

Det. Benfer, an eight year Army Veteran, began his law enforcement career on January 11, 1993, with the Austin Police Department’s 82nd Cadet Class and was commissioned on July 9, 1993. Upon graduating the academy, Det. Benfer was assigned to patrol in David Sector until moving on to the Organized Crime Division (OCD) where he would remain until his retirement after 23 years of service on July 29, 2016. Det. Benfer, referred to as “Slick” loved working in OCD and was also a part of the DEA Task Force.

Robert Benfer is survived by his wife, Angela Benfer. Please keep her and the family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Viewing
Date/Time: Monday, June 30, 2025, 9:30am
Ramsey Funeral Home
5600 Williams Dr
Georgetown, TX 78663

Funeral Services with Police Honors:
Date/Time: Monday, June 30, 2025, 10:30am
Ramsey Funeral Home
5600 Williams Dr
Georgetown, TX 78663

Internment with Military Honors:
Date/Time: Monday, June 30, 2025, 1:00pm
Central Texas Veterans Cemetery
11463 TX-195
Killeen, TX 76542