A career in uniform
La Salle County Pct. 1, 5 & 6 Constable Humberto “Bear” Gonzalez retired from duty last week after a 36-year career that began when he was hired as a county jailer under Sheriff Darwin Avant in 1989. Gonzalez went on to serve as a dispatcher in 1992 on the fourth floor of the county courthouse before attending police academy in Laredo, graduating in 1996 to serve as a deputy under Sheriff Rene Benavidez. He was later promoted to patrol sergeant and served in four subsequent sheriffs’ administrations, including courthouse security duty, before being elected as constable in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, making him one of the longest-serving officers in the county. County Judge Leodoro Martinez III presented him with a plaque and certificates of appreciation at a retirement ceremony on June 10.
