About John William Belk
John William "Billy" Belk
John William "Billy" Belk was raised in Houston, Texas. He married Debbie, his childhood sweetheart, after graduating from Sam Houston High School. Fresh out of high school and newly married, Billy was hired by the Houston Police Department. While a police officer, he extended his education with an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Recently, Billy started a new chapter in his life with the formation of John William Belk, Attorney at Law, a private law practice. Billy and Debbie are proud parents of four adult children.
Billy began his tenure with the police department as a young officer patrolling the streets of northeast Houston. In 1983, he was promoted to the rank of Detective/Sergeant and was assigned to the Homicide Division. For over two decades, he investigated hundreds of homicides, kidnappings and sexual assaults. Many of these complex mysteries were solved by tireless tenacity and old-fashion investigative instincts. Billy's extensive investigative experience came from assignments in the Homicide Division's Sex Crimes Unit, Murder Squad, Crime Scene Unit and Cold Case Squad. Working side-by-side with some of the legends in the Texas criminal justice community, Billy forged a mutual bond with prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys alike.
For nearly five years, Billy worked in an undercover capacity in the Internal Affairs Division, Proactive Squad, receiving several Chief of Police commendations for his contribution to numerous police corruption investigations. As a master hostage negotiator, Billy also worked alongside the elite SWAT Team during many special threat situations. After being trained in DNA technology by the Justice Department, he traveled part-time to teach other agencies about the practical application of DNA technology to local law enforcement communities. In 2005-06, he was given the difficult task of finding the needed evidence for private DNA retesting of over 500 Post-Conviction DNA cases investigated by the troubled HPD Crime Lab, DNA Section.
While working as a police officer, Billy fulfilled his strong passion for law by attending the Law Center at the University of Houston. Billy earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2002. He continued to serve with the police department and also practiced part-time in the areas of probate, family, and civil law until his retirement from the Houston Police Department in 2009.
Immediately following retirement, Billy opened his full-time law practice, John William Belk, Attorney at Law, which focuses on corporate and institutional clients. He also provides litigation support and legal services for civil and criminal clients. He especially enjoys conducting complex private investigations. Billy is licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas and is a member of the State Bar of Texas, and the Houston Bar Association. He also maintains his memberships with the Homicide Investigators of Texas, Texas Association of Hostage Negotiators, and ASIS International.
Today, Billy navigates through highly complex private investigations for his corporate and institutional clients. His firm provides litigation support services for law firms with existing clients. He also effectively manages less complicated legal issues for his individual clients. With a commitment to providing the highest quality legal representation and support services, Billy Belk provides his clients with the assurance of skilled legal counsel developed from exceptional knowledge and experience.