By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
He was off duty, but his mind and posture appeared to be fully on duty. Kemah PD Sgt. Bonner sat very still and straight, taking in all that was happening in the large civic center as the fundraiser for law enforcement departments unfolded.
I noticed he was able to move his eyes very slightly so that if you were not looking for it, you would not notice he was watching you, which indicated he has had extensive training.
As it turns out, Sgt. Bonner has served in the infantry with the U.S. Marines.
He shared that as a Marine, he was trained to see every object as a possible weapon and to be ready to use the object, and that a Marine is trained to maintain control of their own emotions and keep their thoughts on the mission.
Bonner, whose father retired from the Galveston Sheriff’s Department, is about to take on building a SWAT team for the Kemah Police Department.
“We’ll be building the team. It may take a year or two,” said Bonner.
He will be leaving to attend SWAT school and then will continue his training with other seminars. SWAT stands for Specialized Weapons and Tactics.
Attending with him at the fundraiser is Kemah PD Capt. Ruiz, who is a bit more relaxed and appears to be off duty. Ruiz is also a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army as a health care specialist for 13 years.
Ruiz explained that the SWAT team is needed just in case there is a problem requiring the skills of a highly trained team of police officers. Currently, Ruiz shared, his work with the Kemah PD is composed of primarily administrative duties. However, he is training to fly drones. The department does have several officers who are licensed drone operators.
Bonner had smiled softly as he spoke and didn’t want to brag about his newest title of SWAT commander. Rather, he and Ruiz shared what they love about being police officers.
“We reach out to the community and help people. Sometimes we get to fix things,” said Ruiz.
