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On August 27, 2015, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott appointed Derrelynn Perryman, who serves as APD’s Victim Services Coordinator, to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. There are nine members that serve on this Board with a mission to oversee the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), which provides confinement, supervision, rehabilitation, and reintegration of the state’s convicted felons. Board members are appointed for staggered, six-year terms, and are responsible for hiring the executive director of the department and setting rules and policies which guide the agency.

“The Arlington Police Department is thrilled with this gubernatorial appointment and we know that Derrelynn will serve the great citizens of Texas with honor,” said Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson.

Derrelynn has served as the department’s Victim Services Coordinator since 1994. During her term of service, the Arlington Police Department has been recognized twice by the International Association of Chiefs of Police for excellence in victim services. She also serves as an adjunct instructor for the School of Social Work and the Criminal Justice and Criminology department at The University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to that she served as a therapist at Family Assessment, Consultation and Therapy Service (FACTS), where she developed programs for court ordered offenders, including a Batter’s Intervention Program, and a life skills curriculum for Federal probationers. She is a TCOLE certified peace officer instructor and trains officers and first responders regionally.

Annually since 2005, Perryman has provided group therapy as a counselor to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty through the Concerns of Police Survivors Kids Camp. Perryman was recognized by the National Association of Social Workers Tarrant County Branch as the 2006 Social Worker of the Year. Perryman has previously held leadership positions as past president of Texas Victim Services Association and co-chairman of the Tarrant County Criminal Justice Plan Committee. She is a former member of the North Central Texas Council of Government’s Criminal Justice Policy Development Committee.

She is a member of the Critical Incident Team with Arlington Police Department, National Association of Social Workers, Texas Victim Services Association, Coalition for Crime Victims’ Services, State Advisory Committee on Social Work and Victim Services, Office of the Attorney General’s Crime Victim Services Leadership Council and Tarrant County Council on Family Violence. She formerly volunteered as a foster home for Greyhounds Unlimited. Perryman earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from The University of Texas at Arlington.

Here’s a link to the press release from Texas Governor Greg Abbott: http://gov.texas.gov/news/appointment/21348