- Jim Wells Constable Bartolo Guajuardo Jr. for Precinct 6 is retiring at the end of the year.
- He considers himself a simple and humble man who leans on his faith and treats everyone with respect.
- The Alice Lady Coyotes softball team honored the constable asking him to throw out the first pitch at their Tuesday game against Tuloso Midway.
A man who’s walked the streets of Jim Wells County for decades with a badge and gun is getting ready to put it all aside. As the Alice community honors him and other first responders at a softball game, Constable Precinct 6 Bartolo Guajardo shares his thoughts about what has carried him safely throughout his career.
Guajardo considers himself a simple man who is not much for fanfare.
“I am not that person. You know? As a matter of fact, I was kind of disappointed,” Constable Guajardo said.
But the constable of Jim Wells County’s sixth precinct is about to get it.
He first took office as constable in 1984. He left after a few years only to return in 2007.
“It was kind of weird because I had never been on this side of the law or that side of the law. I had never been in trouble and had never been a deputy or whatever you want to call it,” Guajardo said.
The man whose job requires him to carry a badge and gun said he leans on his faith and values when dealing with his community.
“You put yourself equal to them, yourself in their place and treat them like you’d like to be treated in this situation,” Guajardo said.
Guajardo rides around the county for different aspects of his job.
“I have to be careful where I go, the way I talk and that helped me, you know, being close to God,” he said.
He explains one of the toughest things about his job is serving evictions. Throughout his 25-year career, Constable Guajardo said he’s served thousands of eviction notices.
“Evictions are hard. I don’t care what anyone says, evictions are really hard especially when - a lot people think when they are little kids, but no. To me, it is harder when they’ve got teenagers that know what is going on,” Guajardo said.
On Tuesday, March 26, teenagers, kids and adults alike honored first responders like Constable Guajardo, where the Alice Lady Coyotes asked him to throw out the first pitch during the team’s games against Tuloso-Midway.
“It was really surprising. It was a real surprise to me. I said sure, you know?” Guajardo said.
The most rewarding part of the constable’s career is when people walk up to him to say ‘hello’ or ‘thank you,’ he said.
Constable Guajardo plans to leave office at the end of the year. He said he’s looking forward to spending more time with his family, which extends four generations.
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