By Tony Plohetski
Austin American-Statesman
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police officer Tim Atkinson has been blessed by the Dalai Lama, shaken hands with George W. Bush and Bill Clintonm and stood guard when President-elect Barack Obama was in town.
He chatted with first ladies Laura Bush and Lady Bird Johnson - two of the people he said he’s enjoyed meeting most.
As the Austin Police Department’s executive protection officer, Atkinson, 39, is the agency’s chief welcomer, logistics coordinator and protector for the dozens of dignitaries and elected officials who come to the city each year.
He makes sure their visits go off without a hitch by working with fellow Austin officers, the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies to arrange transportation, hotel security, motorcades and street closures.
“I tell people it’s a job where you just pinch yourself numerous times, where you can’t believe you get to be part of this or see this,” said Atkinson, who has coordinated 176 visits in about six years in this post.
In his office at Austin police headquarters, Atkinson has posted photographs of himself with many of the dignitaries and political leaders, including former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush, former first lady Barbara Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Because he has so many, he rotates the pictures every few weeks.
Atkinson, a former Trudy’s waiter who became a police officer in 1993, said he never vied for the executive protection officer position.
He had been working in the department’s special events unit, which coordinates security for city-sponsored events such as parades or races, and jokes that the task was assigned to him while he was away on vacation.
He has since attended classes and training seminars across the country for protection officers and security guards.
Much of what he’s learned must remain confidential to avoid putting guests at risk, he said. He can’t discuss certain aspects of his job, he said, including how he knows where to position officers and how he maps the routes dignitaries take from the airport to their hotels or speaking engagements.
The job has come with unexpected challenges. For instance, Atkinson has had to arrange spur-of-the-moment security after dignitaries’ trips home were delayed because of canceled flights.
Former Police Chief Stan Knee created the executive protection position in 1999 when then-Gov. George W. Bush ran for president. Officials said Knee thought the department needed a liaison to coordinate security efforts with the Secret Service.
Officials maintained the position because of the Bush family’s frequent trips back to Austin. In between, Atkinson has coordinated the visits of other officials protected by the U.S. State Department, Secret Service or U.S. Capitol Police.
His responsibilities do not include protection for Hollywood celebrities or other famous visitors, who generally rely on private bodyguards.
Assistant Police Chief Patti Robinson said Atkinson’s work not only helps protect visitors, it also eases any possible strain their visits could put on Austin residents.
Often, she said, dignitaries come and go without most people ever knowing they were here.
“Anywhere else, it would be this big to-do, and people would be waiting on the frontage roads for the motorcade to go past,” Robinson said. “Here, they are through and they are gone, and people go on about their business.”
Atkinson said he most enjoys meeting the visitors, talking with law enforcement officers from other agencies and preserving Austin’s reputation as a safe, friendly city.
“I consider that my duty,” he said.
Copyright 2009 Austin American-Statesman