The Texarkana, Arkansas and Texas Police Departments had a joint dedication of their newly remodeled Crime Lab today. The Lab was dedicated to Retired Texarkana, Ark. Detective Bill Sillivan, the first Crime Scene Detective in Texarkana to serve both the Arkansas and Texas departments.
Det. Bill Sillivan voiced his concern for the need of a dedicated Crime Scene Detective following the murder of two teens in 1981. In that complex case, the evidence was collected and handled by several different detectives. This caused some confusion during the process, leading Det. Sillivan to see a need for Crime Scene. Det. Sillivan was then trained as Texarkana’s first Crime Scene Detective and served that role until his retirement in 1990, when his son, Marc Sillivan joined TAPD.
Detective Bill Sillivan’s legacy lives on in both agencies. His son, Det. Marc Sillivan worked for Texarkana, AR Police Department as the guru of Crime Scene Detectives until retiring in 2015. At that time, Det. Marc Sillivan took a position as a civilian Crime Scene Tech with Texarkana TX Police Department, where he continues to serve today.
“TAPD is proud to honor the Sillivan Legacy in Texarkana. Texarkana, AR and TX have benefitted from the service of the Sillivan family for nearly 45 years (1975-current date) in one form or another. We are grateful for their dedication and hard work for the citizens of the greater Texarkana area.”
