The wife of a slain Killeen Police detective is sharing her story during National Police Week, which honors officers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their community.
Holly Dinwiddie's husband, Detective Charles "Chuck" Dinwiddie, served the Killeen Police Department for nearly two decades, touching hundreds of lives along the way.
Chuck was shot while serving a warrant in 2014. He later died from his injuries.
On Tuesday, Holly chose to remember Chuck for all the joy he brought into the world.
"Chuck was a really good man. He loved God. He loved his family. He adored his children," Holly said.
The road to rebuilding life without him has not been easy.
"Losing Chuck was one of the most difficult things I've had to go through," Holly said. "We were married for 22 years. He was the glue to our family. He was our spiritual leader. He was my best friend, and it was very painful."
The family makes sure they keep Chuck's memory and legacy alive.
"We celebrate his birthday," Holly said. "We go out to dinner at his favorite restaurant. We'll go to the grave site and bring him balloons. And, on the holidays, we do the same."
Even though Chuck's law enforcement duties were dangerous, Holly said he felt called to public service. She said he would work overtime to protect his community, while still making time for his family. Holly said her family's close relationship with God was helping them heal and now serve as a voice for other police families.
Holly has since started a scholarship in Chuck's name. It is called the Charles Dinwiddie Scholarship Fund, and it benefits children with autism and student education. For more information about the scholarship, contact the Killeen Police Department at 254-501-8830.
For more information about national police week, click here.
The president of Killeen's Police Employee Association, Bobby Castillo, released a statement about Chuck, saying:
To begin, I could go on for days about Chuck, so I will do my best to summarize his qualities and what he meant to all of us. As you know, Chuck was a tenured Detective who was highly gifted and talented. During his days as a Property Crimes Detective, he primarily focused on fraud and “white collared” crimes due to his ability to solve complex cases, yet he still had the ability to apply a common sense approach to the cases allowing for effective and efficient investigations. Chuck was then transferred to the Special Missions Unit, which is a highly trained unit typically used to apprehend high-risk offenders accused of various crimes. Chuck took this job seriously by staying in great shape and being one of the best shooters I have personally seen in the department. He was such a great mentor to many, and was always willing to share his knowledge to less tenured officers in an effort to expand their knowledge in the field of law enforcement. Although he was well trained being on the Special Mission’s Unit and the S.W.A.T. Team, Chuck had a humorous side that kept everybody laughing at all times of the day. Yet when it was time to conduct a mission or an investigation, Chuck was all business. Chuck was such a dedicated worker for the department and the community. He never shirked away from his duties, nor complained. He was the epitome of a true law enforcement officer, but there was one thing he was better at, that was being a father to his two wonderful children and a husband to his beautiful wife, Holly. Chuck worked hard every day and he did it for them….period. Very often, he would remind team members their responsibilities to their families to ensure they understood their priorities. I certainly hope his family knows how much he loved them and what they meant to him. They were his motivator to be a better Detective everyday he came to work. There have been various things done to keep his memory alive. The Special Mission’s Unit at KPD has made a “Hero’s Wall” at their office honoring both Chuck and Bobby. In addition, there is a memorial stone outside at the PD Headquarters also honoring him. The Central Texas College Police Academy and Law Enforcement Training Center currently led by Academy Director (Retired KPD Lieutenant) Pat Boone (worked with Chuck on S.W.A.T.) started a “Chuck Dinwiddie Top Gun Award” which recognizes a police cadet with the highest shooting qualification for every academy, and is personally presented by Holly to the cadet at graduation. In addition, there is an etching of Chuck in the main classroom of the police academy at CTC in remembrance. The Killeen Police Employee Association is hoping to get with the families of Chuck and Bobby in the near future to brainstorm an idea, possibly to erect a monument or granite stone at the Killeen Police Academy so they can inspire and be a reminder to all future and current Killeen Police Officers. This is only an idea at this point and will have to go through several processes for approval. Chuck left behind a legacy to this department and I truly do not believe we can ever fill his shoes, along with the other two officers we have lost (Officer Bobby Hornsby, Marshal John T. Blair.) His death has affected me personally that to this day; I still have not erased my last phone text sent to him back in 2014. We hope our community never forgets him and his family’s sacrifice, because I know we will not.