LOS INDIOS — Police Chief Jose De La Rosa is leading the effort of keeping this small border town safe.
De La Rosa is the only officer on patrol during the day in Los Indios.
“It’s been very busy,” he said. “We have a lot of activity with Border Patrol and we help Customs out a lot.”
On Saturday, the police department received calls three different times for several suspicious persons walking through neighborhood properties.
“We always get calls about suspicious vehicles or suspicious persons at night,” De La Rosa said. “I try to work hand-in-hand with Border Patrol to let them know what’s going on in this area.”
De La Rosa, 27, was hired to head the newly-formed police department in May.
The department currently has eight reserve officers.
“I’m still getting used to working in the area,” De La Rosa said. “I used to work for Santa Rosa, Rio Hondo and before that in Brownsville police departments.”
In Santa Rosa he was a police investigator.
De La Rosa said working for Los Indios is a little different than his previous posts in law enforcement.
He enjoys helping keep the peace for the great people in the community.
De La Rosa graduated from Brownsville’s Rivera High School in 2007.
He said he worked in law enforcement programs as a high school student.
“I worked in programs with Border Patrol and law enforcement,” De La Rosa said. “And then I went to work with the city of Brownsville for four years.”
He said he attended the police academy while he worked part time for the city of Brownsville.
“When I graduated from the academy, I started as a reserve police officer with Indian Lake Police Department,” De La Rosa said. “I have been a police officer for five years.”
De La Rosa said he hopes to develop the Los Indios police department into a full 24-hour police service, and he is working to start a Crime Stoppers system for the city.
“It’s a great idea because sometimes people are afraid to call,” De La Rosa said. “And if there is an arrest, we can award them with something.”
