Trooper A.J. Mason is set to retire

By SUSAN TAFT Contributor to The Pittsburg Gazette

A.J. Mason learned early in his career as a trooper for the Texas Department of Public Safety that a sense of humor was a great attribute to a law enforcement o cer. “Ed Parr and I worked an accident one evening where a couple from the Metroplex area hit a deer. e man was beside himself, despite his wife’s attempts to calm him down,” Mason said. “Trying to help her out, I told him at least no one was hurt, and insurance would cover damage to the car. He calmed down a little until I asked if he had deer insurance. He looked at me like I was crazy. I told him the State would charge him for killing the deer but if he had deer insurance on his policy, it would cover the cost. He got mad all over again until I said, ‘nah, just joking,’ and lightened the mood.” Mason will retire May 31, a er more than 20 years on the job. His rst day with DPS was Oct. 31, 1995. “A er serving six years in the Marine Corps I knew I wanted to become a law enforcement o cer and move back to Texas,” he said. “DPS is viewed as a premier law enforcement agency, and I wanted to become a part of that.” Humor came into play again during a tra c stop; however, this time the joke was on Mason.

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