Raymundo Del Bosque

Raymundo Del Bosque for Zapata County Sheriff

My name is Raymundo Del Bosque, and I currently serve my community as Chief Deputy for the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office. I’m running for Zapata County Sheriff, and I humbly ask for your trust, support and your vote in the 2020 elections. I am running for Sheriff because Zapata’s future and its quality of life is in my best interest. I am a lifelong resident of this community and I love my community. My children attend our local schools and I want them to stay in Zapata as well. Aside from being the Chief Deputy for the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office, I am also a 24hr parent and have seen how our children’s generation has taken drastic changes, and that’s one of the strongest reasons why I am running for sheriff. I want to be a decision maker in the lives of our county’s youth and I want to make sure I advocate for them now so they can achieve prosperous future lives, have wonderful families of their own and offer them a better quality of life. I am running for sheriff because I want to make sure I can open a window of opportunity to those parents who feel the same way as I do. I want to help pave the way to a safer Zapata, just like when we were growing up. I am running for Sheriff because I care for my community, I care for its quality of life and its future. In my opinion, this is the greatest job in the world.

I love what I do, and I come to work because I enjoy my job, not because I’m getting paid for it. I will continue to search for ways where our employees will feel the same way about their jobs and enjoy job security. I am always looking out for them and feel responsible for making sure they return back to their families safely.

For the benefit of the Sheriff’s Office and the community, I currently hold a Master Peace Officers License and a TCOLE instructors license. Since early in my career, I’ve been part of the Texas Narcotic Control Program, the HIDTA taskforce, the Laredo Multi-Agency Narcotics Task Force for Webb and Zapata counties, and also the Commander for the Laredo and Zapata Violent Crimes Unit Task Force. Soon after that, I was accepted as an investigator for the 49th District Attorney’s Office for Webb and Zapata counties. From there, I was offered a job as Chief Deputy for the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office where I currently work under Sheriff Alonso M. López.

I have served as a director in numerous boards, state and locally. For example, I currently serve in the Board of the Boys & Girls Club of Zapata, and the Texas Chief Deputies Association.

In my Law Enforcement Career, I have many accomplishments of which being President of the Texas Chief Deputies Association is one. That position has enabled me to work for and provide training for law enforcement officers in the entire state of Texas. I was also selected for the Melvin Drum Chief Deputy of the Year Award for my arduous involvement in the community and creating significant change in it.

I have always been actively involved in community events throughout the county building a closer bond between law enforcement and the citizens of this county. I serve my community from my heart. I believe in helping anyone anytime they need the help, because you never know if you’re help is the answer to their prayers.

In 2017, when Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Coast, we were able to help our coastal bend neighbors who needed help at a time of natural disaster. We are a very fortunate county to have oilfield companies that instantly got organized along with the American Petroleum Institute “API – Laredo Border Chapter, educators, friends, and families, which we were able to feed hundreds of families in a span of four weeks. We also made several trips with trucks loaded with hygiene items, canned food, water, and many other essential items. Monetary donations were also made to schools there for educational purposes in devastated areas. That is a memory I will always keep close to my heart.

I got into law enforcement because I truly do want to help people, and that in itself is probably the greatest reward.

I believe our county is changing daily. We are being hit by drastic changes in all aspects. Our younger generations are changing. Our student life is changing. Our retail sector isn’t the same anymore. Even our national financial situation isn’t what it used to be 10 years ago. I believe in change, and I’ve learned many lessons during my law enforcement career but none more powerful to me than the fact that change is constant. I also learned that we could learn and adapt.

Yes, we’ve had budgetary challenges in Zapata County for a long time just like many other counties have. For the last seven years, we have been trying very hard on expanding patrol, but things have been tough these past few years. Everyone has been hurting financially and our county is one of the many counties that’s suffered budgetary constraints due to nationwide financial setbacks.

We are pretty much the same as everyone else in law enforcement. Budgets and the lack of money is always a challenge. So, we have to be wise with money and have to always be looking for grants and or other partnerships to make things work and to get needed equipment and personnel, and I have been working on this since day one.

Under the direction of Sheriff Alonso M. López, I have been able to visit Austin, and a secure funding for our County’s safety and border security. We have secured grants which allows our employees to work overtime hours and purchase vehicles. The hard work has finally paid off. We are currently receiving State and Federal funding.

In 2016 I was able to attract and work on a grant to completely remodel the dispatch office. In the first part of 2017, I also procured funding to renew and expand the shooting range. Later that year I was able to obtain additional federal funds from a Border Security Grant for employees’ overtime. A year later, in 2018 we secured the FY17 Operation Stonegarden Grant ($75,000), the FY18 Lower Border Security Grant ($45,000) and the Office of the Governor Rifle Resistant Body Armor Grant ($27,825.00). In 2019 we secured the FY18 Operation Stonegarden Grant ($300,000), the FY19 Lower Border Security Grant ($37,000). In late 2019 we secured the Operation Stonegarden Grant ($328,000) and currently working on the FY20 Lower Border Security Grant. Since my first trip to Austin to date, our office has procured approximately a Million Dollars in grants for our employees’ overtime, vehicles, and equipment. Since 2013 when Sheriff Lopez first appointed as his Chief Deputy, I began working in securing those grants.

Our Corrections unit has grown, but for reasons of outsourcing beds to other agencies. In 2013, I personally visited my long-time contacts in the US Marshall’s Office and began negotiations of additional avenues to generate revenue for our county. The IGA contract was signed by our county soon after and Zapata County re-opened the closed sections of the jail to begin housing additional inmate.

The Sheriff’s Office has been under continuous change, and will continue to change. The Office’s vision and mission has always been and should always remain the same, eliminating drugs from our streets, providing safety and security for our citizens, finding help for our youth and protecting our personal property.

Once we know, and understand this, then we will be able to be more productive and render better aid to our community members.

Zapata County’s top priorities are and should always be the safety and security of its citizens. The human life and its safety should never be placed second in any priority list. I believe in safeguarding a person first no matter what.
Since 2013, under the direction of Sheriff Alonso M. Lopez, I have been working on a set vision for a better Zapata, a stronger department and higher standards for our county and community. Change is happening but if we want things to work out fine, we need to do them right and that takes time.
In our area we depend on citizens for a lot of things. Since there are very few of us, the citizens depend on each other, and help us out anytime it is needed. We also have citizens that assist us in Search and Rescue, like the Sheriff’s Posse has done before in Falcon Lake, and so has our Reserve Deputies. Without the help of citizens, we would not be able to have these.

In conclusion, I pray I have gained your trust and the opportunity to serve you as your next Zapata County Sheriff. I ask you to please come and vote for me, Raymundo Del Bosque, place #1 on the ballot.

Elect me as your next Zapata County Sheriff!