BISD welcomes new police, security officers

New Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) law enforcement officers recite the Oath of Honor Tuesday morning at Veterans Memorial Early College High School Lecture Hall during a law enforcement swear-in ceremony and special recognition of new security officers. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

Seven new Brownsville Independent School District Police officers and 11 new Security Services officers were recognized Tuesday morning in a ceremony that honored their commitment to policing and to protecting the lives and wellbeing of BISD schoolchildren.

New Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) security officers receive a special recognition as new BISD employees Tuesday morning at Veterans Memorial Early College High School Lecture Hall during a law enforcement swear-in ceremony and special recognition of new security officers. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

BISD Board of Trustees President Eddie Garcia led the new police officers in the Law Enforcement Oath of Honor as each pledged to “never betray my badge, my integrity, my character or the public trust.” Garcia, who recently retired from the Brownsville Police Department after 32 years of service, then welcomed the new officers into the profession, and family members pinned each new officer’s badge to his uniform.

In remarks during the ceremony and afterward, Garcia stressed adherence to principles in private and public life. He said he often advises young officers to push past the tendency to want to prove themselves and to instead “use the strength of your mind” to do police work with integrity.

BISD Police Cmdr. Patrick Gabbert spoke about the importance of protecting BISD schoolchildren, “our most precious commodity.”

Gabbert said that during 2021 there have been 29 school shootings in which 49 people were hurt and 11 were killed, eight of them students.

“Officers, I cannot stress to you enough how important your purpose is to our school community. Always strive to do the right thing and hold yourselves accountable. Officers, do your jobs with pride, and remember, we do our jobs by choice, not by chance,” he said.

Board member Denise Garza, who comes from a law enforcement family, said she was surprised to discover while preparing as guest speaker that BISD is one of the few area school district departments to hold a swearing-in and recognition ceremony.

New Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) law enforcement officers are recognized by BISD superintendent RenŽ GutiŽrrez Tuesday morning at Veterans Memorial Early College High School Lecture Hall during a law enforcement swear-in ceremony and special recognition of new security officers. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

BISD Police Chief Oscar Garcia said such ceremonies are important and part of a long tradition that recognizes the role of policing in the community. He said he still remembers his own swearing-in ceremony in the 1980s. Garcia administered the oath of office, in which the officers swore to preserve, protect and defend he Constitution of the United States and of the state of Texas.

The ceremony brought the department to 56 police officers and 85 security officers, with four police and five security slots remaining open, Garcia said.

Police officers sworn in Tuesday included Rodrigo Ibanez, Noe Santibanez, Sammy Pedraza, Julio Passament, Francisco Velez, Manuel Martinez II and Jorge Gonzalez.

Security officers given special recognition included Christopher Almendarez, Marcos Trevino, Christopher Long, Orlando Alvarez, Alondra Garcia, David Estrada, Raymundo Ramirez Jr., Raymundo Lopez, Alfredo Gonzalez, Daniel Villanueva and Ricardo Delgado.

New Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) law enforcement officers take the Oath of Office Tuesday morning at Veterans Memorial Early College High School Lecture Hall during a law enforcement swear-in ceremony and special recognition of new security officers. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)