Former VIPD Deputy Commissioner Celvin Walwyn Honored for Community Policing Efforts in Texas

Dr. Celvin G. Walwyn spent his teenage years living in St. Croix and later returned to the territory to work in law enforcement as deputy police commissioner of operations. He was recently honored in Baytown, Texas for his outstanding efforts in community policing.

The award – the Shield of Honor – was bestowed upon Mr. Walwyn by Ode to Elders, a community-based nonprofit dedicated to uplifting and celebrating the contributions of the Baytown Caribbean community. Though employed as a Chief of Police at Coastal Bend College, the award celebrated his work during his tenure at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas.

At the age of 13, a young Walwyn immigrated to St. Croix from St. Kitts and Nevis. His father was a police commander in Antigua, and later moved to St. Kitts to work as a police officer where he met Dr. Walwyn’s mother, a seamstress. The Walwyn family’s move to St. Croix is considered integral to shaping the individual Dr. Walwyn is today.  He attended Central High School and joined the law enforcement explorers program there. He later began a program at the College of the Virgin Islands (now the University of the Virgin Islands) before moving to Houston and attending the police academy. His law enforcement career spans several roles in Texas, and includes a four-year stint as Commissioner of Police in St. Kitts and Nevis, and as Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations for the Virgin Islands Police Department.

Mr. Walwyn ultimately returned to the mainland United States, with last weekend’s award as his latest accomplishment. On Thursday, he told the Consortium that he feels “great” about the award. “Throughout my career, I have managed to stay above the fray. I'm very community policing oriented,” he remarked. He recalled being one of the first Caribbean cops that residents of Houston interacted with. Mr. Walwyn recounted volunteering his security services at the first West Indian Carnival in Houston, staying with the organizers throughout the years.

“Pretty soon, people started feeling comfortable speaking to me. They would trust me with certain things, and I would treat them with respect,” he told the Consortium. It’s this attitude, nurtured in the Virgin Islands, that led to his recent award, he says. “It was like a family reunion because I saw people from high school on St. Croix from the 1970s,” he said of the award ceremony. Per Dr. Walwyn, the award speaks to his “representation of the Caribbean community.” “I was one of the cops that you saw everywhere, but you never heard anything negative about me along the way,” he beamed.

“It was a great feeling to see that the community actually acknowledged what I had been doing and what my community policing goals were,” he said. The Ode to Elders award is not the first such recognition for Mr. Walwyn. He is also a recipient of the 100 Club Officer award, given to the “number one cop in Texas.” During his time in the Orlando Sheriff’s Office, he won the Officer of the Year award for four consecutive years from a pool of approximately 2,500 officers.

Nearly four decades into his law enforcement career, Mr. Walwyn is preparing for a new role, based once more in the Caribbean. His experience is supported by several academic achievements, including a PhD in Public Safety and master's degree in Security Management.