Katy ISD police officer takes United States’ Mrs. Texas 2019 crown

Katy ISD Police Officer Shannon Dresser was crowned the United States of America Mrs. Texas on Oct. 28, 2018. Katy ISD Police Officer Shannon Dresser was crowned the United States of America Mrs. Texas on Oct. 28, 2018. Photo: Courtesy Of Katy ISD Police Photo: Courtesy Of Katy ISD Police Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close Katy ISD police officer takes United States’ Mrs. Texas 2019 crown 1 / 25 Back to Gallery

Officers with the Katy ISD Police Department are celebrating one of their own this week, but not for the reasons you might think.

K9 officer Shannon Dresser on Sunday, Oct. 28 was crowned the United States of America Mrs. Texas 2019 by the USoA Pageants, a nationwide competition designed to “encourage women to strive to achieve their hopes, dreams, goals and aspirations,” according to the organization’s website. There are four categories, including America’s Teen, America’s Miss, America’s Ms. and America’s Mrs.

Dresser said it was her first time competing in the “Mrs.” category of the USoA competition, but not her first time competing in pageants, she told the Rancher.

“We got married back in June and he’s actually leaving for Korea next week, so we’ll be having our wedding when he returns the following year,” she said, referring to her husband, who’s in the United States Army.

Being crowned felt like a dream, Dresser said.

“I put a lot of time and dedication in preparing for the competition, so I knew that no matter the outcome, I was really proud of how well I performed,” she said.

The K9 officer, whose partner is a Hungarian German Shepherd named Cruz, joined the Katy ISD police department in 2015, wants to send a message of encouragement to young girls everywhere.

“Believe in yourself,” she said. “Until you actually take that step to realize you can do it and have that confidence in yourself, that’s when you're able to fulfill whatever goals and dreams you have.”

The Katy ISD police department announced on Facebook Monday that officer Dresser had been crowned Sunday night.

“Oops she did it again, Our own Officer Shannon Dresser was crowned the United States of America Mrs. Texas last night,” the post read. “Congrats Officer Dresser!”

That statement was confirmed by Katy ISD Spokeswoman Maria DiPetta Monday morning. The post was also later confirmed by the USoA.

“Dresser has competed for several years and has even moved up through competitions,” DiPetta said Monday.

The 30-year-old Dresser, already the Miss Texas 2017 winner took the first runner up at the Miss United States Pageant in Florida last year.

Dresser has been competing in baton twirling pageants since she was 12 years old and started competing in large pageant systems in 2009, according to a previous Houston Chronicle article. She's competed in about 15 different pageants.