Before a crowd of family, friends, district employees, Board of Trustees and law enforcement colleagues, Domingo Aguirre was officially named Donna ISD’s new Chief of Police during a swearing-in ceremony held at the administration complex on Friday Aug. 18th.
Gilbert Guerrero, Chief of Police for the City of Donna administered the oath of office while Ms. Olga Aguirre pinned the badge on her husband, as their four children proudly watched.
First and foremost, Aguirre thanked God and his family for supporting him throughout his law enforcement career. “I’m deeply humbled and I appreciate everyone who has guided me and helped me along the way,” Aguirre said. “First, I would like to thank the man upstairs for his guidance. Along the way, you run into some bumps on the road, and some bruises here and there, but you got to keep going. I think that's why I'm in this field. I also want to thank my family, my wife, my kids and my parents for their support.”
Aguirre also went on to thank district administration, the Board of Trustees and neighboring law enforcement agencies for their support in keeping students safe. “Our kids deserve the best,” Aguirre said. “Our enrollment is close to going over 13,500 kids and whatever resource we need to protect them, we’re going to find it. Donna ISD might not have it, but maybe Donna PD does, maybe the sheriff’s office or Weslaco does; but working together we can provide a safe environment for our kids. At the same time, I’m humbled and I just can’t wait to serve our community, our parents and our kids.”
Aguirre also emphasized how thankful he was for his police officers and security guards. “I do want to say a special thank you to my officers,” Aguirre said. “Without you, we can’t do this. I need every single one of you. Not one man can do this job, so I greatly appreciate you. I look forward to the future. I’m humbled yet excited and I want to continue making this department better. I want to keep growing and just be out there to protect our kids. That’s why we’re here.”
DISD Superintendent Dr. Angela Dominguez said she is confident they found the right person for the job. “Chief Aguirre, I want to commend you for the work that you’ve done as our Interim Chief of Police all last school year,” Dr. Dominguez said. “In the context of what’s been happening in public schools and across our country, it has been a very big challenge dealing with law enforcement, school safety, and the challenges that we’ve received in terms of state mandates. But, first and foremost, it’s about the safety of our children and our staff. Working with Chief Aguirre over the last year, I’ve seen him demonstrate such high levels of leadership for our police department and I know he will continue to do so at the highest capacity.”
Aguirre has been in law enforcement for nearly 16 years, launching his career as a Police Officer with the City of Alamo Police Department where he served approximately four years. Aguirre subsequently joined the Donna ISD Police Department in 2011 where he has spent the last 12 years serving the district in different capacities including Police Officer, Field Training Officer, Sergeant, Administrative Sergeant, Interim Police Chief and now Chief of Police.
As interim, Aguirre worked diligently to put in place crucial safety and security measures that adhere to the new requirements set forth by the Texas Education Agency. Under his leadership, the district successfully sought funding to purchase ballistic shields and bullet proof vests for all officers. He also strengthened collaborations with neighboring law enforcement agencies, which have resulted in extensive SWAT and active shooter trainings between the agencies.
Aguirre’s continued partnership with the City of Donna PD also helped establish a Special Response Team and the use of the city’s emergency response vehicle, which is currently housed at DISD police headquarters. In addition, Aguirre orchestrated a move to relocate the DISD PD to a more spacious location where a state-of-the-art training facility will be built for internal and external training sessions for law enforcement agencies.
