La Feria News

Police Department Adds New Officers

“The police force grows as the city grows”

Bill Keltner

Bill Keltner

The citizens of La Feria will soon be seeing new faces patrolling the streets, RV Parks and neighborhoods in our area as the Police Department adds new officers. As Chief Don Garcia said, “Growth is necessary because the police force must grow as the city grows.”

The growth was highlighted last week when three new police academy graduates stepped forward in a special ceremony to be commissioned as police officers in the La Feria Police Department. They had graduated from the Lower Rio Grande Valley Police Academy located on the campus of Texas State Technical College. They swore to enforce the law and protect our citizens from harm. They will immediately join their comrades in blue as they continue making our homes, schools and streets safe for the residents of La Feria.

Front row:   Chief of Police Donato Garcia,  Reserve Officer/Dispatcher Jose A Medina; Police Officer Nestor Hernandez; Police Officer Jose M Ipina; Mayor Victor Gonzalez. Second Row:  Frank Sanchez, Patrolman; Isidro Delgado, Corporal. Third Row: Sunny Philip, City Manager;  Esmeralda Sanchez, City Secretary; Julian Rodriguez, Corporal; Lonnie Utley, Police Lieutenant; Jorge Cavazos. Sergeant; Frank Sanchez, Patrolman; Albert Pedraza, Patrolman; Jesus Rodriguez, Patrolman. Photo: Sergeant Eusebio Salazar, Jr./TXDPS

Front row: Chief of Police Donato Garcia, Reserve Officer/Dispatcher Jose A Medina; Police Officer Nestor Hernandez; Police Officer Jose M Ipina; Mayor Victor Gonzalez. Second Row: Frank Sanchez, Patrolman; Isidro Delgado, Corporal. Third Row: Sunny Philip, City Manager; Esmeralda Sanchez, City Secretary; Julian Rodriguez, Corporal; Lonnie Utley, Police Lieutenant; Jorge Cavazos. Sergeant; Frank Sanchez, Patrolman; Albert Pedraza, Patrolman; Jesus Rodriguez, Patrolman. Photo: Sergeant Eusebio Salazar, Jr./TXDPS

Mayor Victor Gonzalez opened the ceremony and officiated in the official commissioning of the new officers. Police Chief Don Garcia, City Manager Sunny Philip, and City Secretary Esmeralda Sanchez, along with a good number of off-duty officers witnessed the event in the City Commission room of the City Hall.

The three new police officers are: Jose Medina, Nestor Hernandez and Miguel Pina. The addition of these newly commissioned officers swells the La Feria police force to 13 members and 4 non-commissioned dispatchers. The police department now has five patrol units in service with a couple more soon to be added according to Chief Don Garcia.

Police Chief Garcia, commenting on the additional officers, said, “We are very proud to have these new men on the force. They are well-trained for any contingency. As the city grows and expands, the need for more police presence is needed to maintain public safety. This is especially true during the summer, when we regularly patrol the local Winter Texan RV parks and recreation areas.”

Chief of Police Don Garcia with Police Dispatcher.Photo: Bill Keltner/LFN

Chief of Police Don Garcia with Police Dispatcher.Photo: Bill Keltner/LFN

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