Association oversight is provided by the RIOT Board of Directors consisting of the following individuals:
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Shawn serves as the Executive Director of Robbery Investigators of Texas (RIOT). In 2012, Shawn co-founded RIOT which is a non-profit 501(c)(3).
Shawn is an honorably retired violent crimes detective from the Round Rock Police Department where he primarily conducted financial institution robbery investigations. Shawn was assigned to the FBI Central Texas Violent Crimes Task Force, within the Austin Resident Agency for almost 11 years, retiring as the Bank Robbery Coordinator for the San Antonio Division of the FBI. He is regarded as a subject matter expert on financial institution robbery prevention and preparedness conducting hundreds of training sessions with institutions across the State of Texas and beyond. Shawn has conducted training sessions for the Texas Banker’s Association, Fort Worth Credit Union League, Georgia Banker’s Association, Wisconsin Banker’s Association, Cornerstone Credit Union League and Sheriff’s Association of Texas. Upon retirement from the Round Rock Police Department, Shawn served as Director of Operations for Summit Off Duty Services. In 2021, Shawn was appointed by the Smith County, Texas Commissioner’s Court as the Interim Constable of Precinct Two. Shawn then served as the Chief of Police for the Chapel Hill Independent School District Police Department in Tyler, Texas concluding a 30 year career in law enforcement. Shawn is a native Tylerite earning his master’s degree from Sam Houston State University, bachelor’s degree from LeTourneau University and an associate's degree from Tyler Junior College. Shawn serves as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Tyler Junior College and is a former member of the Sheriff's Association of Texas Cold Case Review Team. |
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Eddie is the President of Robbery Investigators of Texas. Eddie is an honorably retired Sergeant from the Wichita Falls Police Department. Eddie enjoyed a distinguished career with 26 years of service to the Wichita Falls community. He retired in October of 2015. During his tenure, Eddie served in all aspects of the Patrol Section, S.W.A.T. / Tactical Unit, Training Section and Professional Standards Unit. Eddie has been recognized as the Wichita Falls Police Officer Association’s Officer of the Year and Kiwanis Explorer of the year. He has been elected and served as the WFPOA President, First Vice President, Second Vice President and as a board member.
Eddie transitioned into the private industry after law enforcement and for the past 17 years has worked as the Security Director for a large association |
Matt Lindemann Retired Lieutenant Texas Rangers
512-497-2183 |
Board Vice President Matt Lindemann retired as a lieutenant in the Texas Rangers with twenty-eight years of service. He began his law enforcement career in 1985 as a Williamson County, Texas Deputy Sheriff. In 1990, Matt graduated from the Texas Department of Public Safety Academy as a State Trooper. In 1997, he was promoted to Texas Ranger. In 2014, Matt promoted to lieutenant within the Texas Rangers. Prior to retirement, Matt was stationed in Austin where he supervised ten Rangers who covered fourteen counties in Central Texas. Matt is currently the Williamson County Pct. 3 Constable. Matt co-founded Robbery Investigators of Texas.
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Cindy Blackstone
VP of Strategic Partnerships FiTech by Deluxe 903-539-8711 |
Board Secretary/Treasurer Cindy Blackstone, a native of Lindale, Texas, and business administration graduate of LeTourneau University, began her career in Austin, accepting a position with First USA Bank in 1997. Eventually desiring to move back home to East Texas, she joined a community bank, headquartered in Tyler, Texas. In her 26 years in banking, Cindy has served in various roles. Managing merchant services portfolio as well as credit card issuing portfolio, to Chief Retail Officer. Expanding her career to VP of Strategic Partnerships, at FiTech by Deluxe. Cindy now assists banks all over the country reach their goals. Outside of her career, Cindy is a member of Flint Baptist Church and volunteers with several non-profit organizations, currently serving as a board member for Robbery Investigators of Texas. Cindy and her husband, Jayson, have two sons: Noah and Evan.
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Detective Brian Raynsford joined the Fort Worth Police Department in 1990. He has worked Patrol, Gang Enforcement, Property Crimes task force and adjunct Academy instructor assignments. Detective Raynsford has been a court recognized expert in white supremacist prison gangs. Promoted to Detective in 2007; he has been assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division, Violent Personal Crimes Section-Robbery Unit since 2009. He's also a negotiator on the Hostage Negotiation Team. Detective Raynsford holds Master Peace Officer and Instructor certifications in the State of Texas and has an Associate’s degree from Tarrant County College as well as a Bachelor’s Degree from Dallas Baptist University. Detective Raynsford was awarded RIOT Investigator of the Year in 2015. Detective Raynsford also serves on the board of the Fort Worth chapter of Brotherhood for the Fallen, a police charity.
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Jeff Hill
Retired Detective Round Rock Police Department 979-739-0006 |
Jeff has been on the Board of Directors of the Robbery Investigators of Texas (RIOT) since 2017. From 2017-2020, Jeff served as the RIOT Training Coordinator and is currently over RIOT merchandising. Jeff retired as a detective from the Round Rock Police Department after almost 24 years of law enforcement service. He served in the Patrol Division as a Field Training Officer, Gang Unit Officer and Special Investigative Unit Officer. He was a Detective in the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for the last 14 years of his career. During his time in CID, Jeff served in the following units: Property Crimes, Crimes Against Persons, Domestic Crimes, and Special Investigations. Jeff was the lead detective on many high-profile cases to include murders, robberies, and officer-involved shootings. Jeff holds a Master Peace Officer certification through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).
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Detective Jeff Holloway began his law enforcement career with the Arlington Police Department in October 2001. During his career, he has worked Patrol, School Resource, and has worked as a Detective in the Robbery/Gang Investigative Unit since 2014. Jeff holds a Master Peace Officer and TCOLE Instructor certifications and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. Jeff teaches report writing to new recruits at the Arlington Police Academy as well as assists in scenario-based training.
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Mario Verna
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Dallas Critical Incident Response Team [email protected] 972-559-5128 |
FBI Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Mario Verna received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University in 1993. Upon graduation, SSA Verna was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. SSA Verna attended Washburn University School of Law and received a Juris Doctorate in 1996. SSA Verna joined the FBI in March 2005. Upon graduation from the FBI Academy, SSA Verna was assigned to work Counterterrorism matters in the Kansas City Division.
In 2008, SSA Verna transferred to the Dallas Division and was assigned to work Counterterrorism. In 2011, SSA Verna deployed to Afghanistan to support the FBI’s Counterterrorism mission. Subsequently, SSA Verna was assigned to the Violent Crime Task Force and fugitive task force. SSA Verna served as the supervisor for the FBI Dallas Violent Crime Task Force and as the Program Coordinator for all Dallas Division violent crime matters from 2017 through 2022. In April 2022, SSA Verna became the supervisor for the FBI Dallas Critical Incident Response Team. SSA Verna served on the FBI Kansas City and FBI Dallas SWAT teams. SSA Verna is a tactical instructor, firearms instructor, and ALERRT certified instructor. Additionally, SSA Verna serves as a Dallas Division Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) coordinator and the Dallas Division BAU Program Manager SSA. |
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Sergeant David Helms grew up in Deer Park, New York. After relocating to Houston in 2005, David graduated from the Houston Police Department Academy in 2006. He was assigned to a tactical unit from 2007-2012 where his time on the streets led to his later work in investigations.
He promoted to sergeant of police in 2012 where he was assigned to the Robbery Division. In 2016, he was selected to join FBI Violent Crime Task Force. David has become a subject matter expert on bank robbery and armored car robberies, having responded to more than 300 robbery incidents. In 2019, David was awarded the FBI Director’s Award for his role in investigating a serial armored car crew that killed multiple people. In 2021, David joined the ATF Crime Gun Strike Force where he focused on commercial business robberies. His time spent spent at the ATF was instrumental in his development as an investigator and lifelong partnerships forged. In late 2022, David returned to the FBI Violent Crime Task Force where he continues to investigate what he calls his life’s work - investigating armored car and bank robberies. |
Jeremy Costlow
Vice President of Enterprise Accounts Protos Off-Duty Security [email protected] 903-714-6172 |
Jeremy Costlow is Vice President, Enterprise Accounts Group at Protos Security, the largest Guard & Off Duty Security Provider in North America. Prior to Protos, Jeremy served as Vice President of Customer Experience for Summit Off Duty Services, a subsidiary of Athos Group launched in 2021. Jeremy worked with the Athos Group for more than seven years, previously serving as President, Athos Group Security since 2018 prior to the launch and his transition to Summit.
Jeremy joined Athos in 2013 to lead its client services team after a series of successful roles in various corporations; his engaging personality and tireless focus on building effective teams has yielded positive results and career advancement. Prior to Athos, Jeremy served as Vice President of Texas Bank, where he provided executive leadership oversight in multiple capacities including marketing, lending, and security operations. Jeremy worked closely with customers to meet their individual needs, supporting a wide-range of clients from local consumers to regional agricultural enterprises as well as arranging financing for multi-million-dollar commercial shopping centers. Before his work with Texas Bank, Jeremy was General Manager of a regional multi-branch company responsible for more than $30 million in annual sales. He provided leadership and coaching through nearly a decade of mentoring teams, ranging from beginning sales agents to experienced veterans. Jeremy is valued community leader whose passions include hanging with his family & friends, hunting, golf, and football. Jeremy and his wife have four children and are active members of Flint Baptist Church. |
Billy Jack Mims, Major
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Billy Jack Mims holds a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Texas State University and joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in March of 2006 as a recruit in the DPS Training Academy. From September 2006 through December 2009, he was assigned as a Texas Highway Patrol Trooper in Menard and Texas City. In January 2010, he was appointed to Staff Sergeant in Austin on the Executive Protection Bureau's Governors Protective Detail. In October 2012, he was promoted to Special Agent in the Criminal Investigations Division in Austin, where he worked the next three years in the Major Drug Section. In May 2015, he was promoted to Texas Ranger. He was assigned to Hondo, Austin, and San Marcos, respectively, where he remained until 2019, when he was promoted to Texas Ranger Lieutenant in Austin. In October 2021, Mims was promoted to Captain at Texas Rangers Headquarters in Austin. On September 1, 2023, Mims was appointed Major of Company "D" in Weslaco.
Mims is currently Commander of Company "D" and stationed in Weslaco. Company "D" is comprised of 27 counties in South Texas, extending from Val Verde and Edwards Counties to the north, stretching south along the Rio Grande River to Cameron and Willacy Counties at the Gulf of Mexico, and back north along the Gulf Coast to Refugio County. Company "D" is manned by 3 Lieutenants and 24 Rangers and encompasses 640 miles of Texas/Mexico border and 21 international border crossings. Mims' operational command extends to DPS' South Texas Region Special Response Team, Crisis Negotiation Unit, and other specialized Ranger assignments within Company "D" |
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FBI Special Agent Randy White joined the FBI in January 2011. Upon graduation from the FBI Academy, SA White was assigned to work Counterintelligence matters in the Washington Field Office. In 2016, SA White transferred to the Dallas Division where he continued to work Counterintelligence. In 2019, SA White began work on the FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force. In that role SA White has served as the Bank Robbery Coordinator and since 2020 has served as the Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Team Coordinator. SA White leads a team of 15 investigators who use familial DNA techniques to identify suspects in violent crimes cases. SA White and his team have helped solve sex assault and murder cases for police departments across North Texas. He has additionally provided presentations and training to law enforcement agencies all across the U.S. on how to utilize the IGG technique. SA White also serves on the FBI Dallas SWAT team as an Assistant Team Leader and provides tactical training to other FBI Agents as a Practical Applications Instructor.
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