Texas Border Business
Pharr, Texas – At the first city commission meeting of the new year, Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., and City of Pharr officials announced the appointment of Jose Luengo as City of Pharr’s Chief of Police. Luengo had been serving as interim Chief since the retirement of Pharr’s former police chief in October, 2017. Luengo was selected among 30 applicants in a nationwide search, with his professional experience, education, and reputation as an ethical and effective leader making him the ideal candidate for the position.
“With public safety one of our highest priorities in Pharr, we undertook a monumental search to find the best candidate to lead our dedicated team of law enforcement officers,” said Mayor Hernandez. “We put Chief Luengo up against the competition and we are proud that his vision, leadership, and management experience stood out among the best and the brightest candidates that were selected by a national recruiting firm,” Hernandez continued. “We were impressed with his ability to lead the department and manage the police force during his interim tenure, and we look forward to his continued leadership as permanent Chief of Police,” he added.
Luengo began working for the City of Pharr in December 2007. Luengo has a Bachelor of Science and Criminal Justice and Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas-Pan American. He began his law enforcement career as a cadet at the Police Academy in 2009, becoming a police officer later that same year. In 2013, Luengo was promoted to Sergeant, and received Advanced Officer Certification the following year in 2014. In 2015, Luengo was promoted to Lieutenant. In October 2016, Luengo received his Master Peace Officer Certification and was promoted to Interim Police Chief on October 2, 2017.
“I am honored and humbled to have been chosen as Pharr’s new Chief of Police,” Luengo said after taking his oath of office. “It is a true honor to serve as your Pharr Chief of Police alongside the outstanding leadership of Mayor Hernandez, the Pharr City Commission, and our employees,” he continued. “I look forward to continuing the great work we are doing at the Pharr Police Department and to lead our exemplary team of police officers as we commit ourselves to provide the city and our citizens with safety, security, confidence, and dedication.”
