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FEBRUARY 2020 Blues Vol 36 No 2

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  • Blues
  • Enforcement
  • Deferred
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  • January
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FEBRUARY 2020 Blues Vol 36 No 2

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Continued from Previous Page getting a gang tattoo.” B.K. grew up in Houston and graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts—Beyoncé’s alma mater— before moving to San Marcos to study acting at what was then Southwest Texas State University. When it became apparent that an acting career was likely out of reach, he cast around for an alternative, eventually settling on law enforcement. “I think it might have been the first thing that I came up on as I was looking at majors,” B.K. remembered. “I said, hey, criminal justice—that might be fun. Let me try that.” After a few years with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, B.K. moved back to his hometown and took a job with HPD, where he moved up the ranks and was eventually assigned to undercover operations. About 8 years ago, he began visiting tattoo parlors around the city to get inked up. He loved the tattoos but was less enthusiastic about the places he had to go to get them. “As I’m sitting there and getting tattooed, I have this feeling that I can’t relax,” B.K. said. “Number one, I don’t know who the artists are. There’s a guy in the back room high on something, talking to himself. The people in the booth next to me are yelling and screaming and arguing. And here I am, an officer, thinking, this is not comfortable for me. I want to be able to get a tattoo and not have to worry about putting my gun in my lap, or having to turn a certain way to see the front door, to see who might come in.” As it happens, B.K. discovered the perfect location for his new business while staking out bars on Washington Avenue a few years ago as part of the HPD’s vice squad. He was waiting to conduct a raid one Saturday night when he noticed a “For Lease” sign next to what seemed like an abandoned building. “I thought, Washington Avenue’s heating up, look at all these cars, look at all this traffic. I mean, you couldn’t drive down Washington on a Saturday night because it was just packed.” B.K. leased the building and set about transforming it into a miniature jail, complete with decommissioned prison equipment he got from a San Antonio junkyard. “This entire place is like a movie set; it’s all tongue-in-cheek theater,” B.K. said. “I even built a fake electric chair that gives you a harmless zap. I’ve created a destination that people will remember and still talk about months later. You would be surprised. City employ- ees will come in here with their families just to look around. Everyone is welcome. We totally cater to the kids with stickers, thin blue line cookies and temporary tattoos.” Not everyone understood the joke, as he learned by standing outside the shop and eavesdropping on passersby. “Some people were like, ‘Prison Break? We’re going to be tattooed by convicts?’ I would yell back, ‘It’s a theme!” Finding tattoo artists willing to work for a cop, in a prison themed shop was also difficult as first. But B.K. eventually recruited enough tattoo artists to open up shop, some of whom even saw working at a police-run tattoo shop as a plus. “As a police officer, I have to operate everything to the letter of the law. You know this place is going to be safe and your artist is going to be vetted personally by an officer of the law. We give people the peace of mind knowing they have an immaculately clean environment, and there are no backroom shady dealings.” When Prison Break first opened, he kept it open until 4 a.m. on the weekends to take advantage of the party crowd, but soon realized the late hours were cutting into his sleep, as well as his sanity. “After six months, when we’re drawing a happy face on a guy’s ass and his buddy is throwing up in the bathroom, I’m thinking, this is not what I want to do.” He added, “I lost my patience with drunks a long time ago.” These days, the shop closes around 10 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on the weekends. “The customers that I deal with typically don’t want to get tattooed at two or three in the morning,” B.K. pointed out. “There’s nothing good that can come out of that.” 2019 was a really big year for B.K. and Prison Break as their new show “Hero Ink” premiered on the A&E Network, home of the popular TV show “LIVE PD.” The first season featured 12 episodes and was a huge hit with not only with the local crowd, but A&E audiences everywhere and is currently airing overseas. Each half-hour episode features stories from several first responders and guest tattoo artists. In the premiere episode, Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin, from A&E’s “Live PD” stops by to get a special tattoo to commemorate his decades of service. “Other stories featured include tributes to service animals, first responders who risked everything to help others on Sept. 11, heroes who came together to protect people and property from natural disasters, and teams who have made difficult decisions amid harrowing ordeals. In each case, the clients honor these stories of bravery through a unique tattoo that serves as a lifelong reminder to the moments and people who have impacted their lives and the lives of others.” “Filming the show has been an amazing experience,” B.K. said. “I got to meet a lot of interesting people, a lot of heroic first responders, and amazing artists who assisted us. From the production company to the production assistants and show runners, everyone was 100 percent supportive of my dream, and we were more than thrilled to have these folks here to film last year. Right now, I’m just waiting to see how the show does and where it takes us.” ••• B.K., we are proud of you and honored to feature you on the cover of The BLUES. We’re excited to have you here in Houston, and we can’t say Thank You enough for all that you do. 30 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 31

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