My name is John Gonzalez and I have been with the UTMB Police Department for 10 years. I started as a Guard in March of 2010 and a short time later was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to attend the 92nd UT System BPOC, which concluded in December of 2011.
I was born on the island and have always lived on the island. My wife of six years and I have two kids, ages four and one. She works as an ICU nurse at UTMB and is pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing in the Adult/Gerontologic Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track. We both lead hectic lifestyles with our career paths alone, but coming home to my wife and kids is what I live for. The best part of my day is hearing the kids scream daddy at the top of their lungs and jumping into my arms.
Over the years, I have developed a passion for photography and have participated in many classes and learned a vast array of skills. I have captured memories of weddings, graduation pictures, and sports photographs. I have also learned and become proficient in taking photographs for real estate listings. Slow pitch softball is another hobby I dedicate my time to. As a family, we like to go on short getaways, usually to San Antonio or New Orleans. My wife and I are both foodies, and our trips are planned around our meals. We also have a goal to attend a major league baseball game in each stadium in the United States.
One of my interests as a police officer is training officers to prepare for active attack events. I have become a Solo Officer Rapid Deployment Instructor as well as an instructor for Citizens Response to Active Shooter Events and Stop the Bleed. It has been a rewarding opportunity displaying community policing by aiding the community and local schools how to best respond to these unanticipated and subsequently traumatic events. In addition to Commissioned Officers, I have trained the Public Safety Officers within my department their roles and responsibilities in responding to active attack events.
I have set many professional goals since becoming a commissioned officer, and as of last year I have checked two more of them off my list. One of which was to be promoted to detective with our department and since then, I have been immersing myself in this new role. I am loving this new role in the profession and the challenges that are associated with it. The second goal was to become a firearms instructor. Firearms has been a hobby of mine for quite some time and having the ability to instruct and share my expertise with others has been a gratifying experience.
I value the opportunities that have, and continue to, present themselves and look forward to the growth and professional development the future holds. My long-term goal at this time is to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and my short-term goal at this time is to become a forensic photographer and add that skill to my repertoire. I plan to dedicate many more years to UTMB Police Department in Galveston and continue serving my community.
