OPINION
By Allan Jamail
Galena Park, TX. ~ A few weeks ago I met Chief of Police (COP) Rob L. Kimmons, the new Galena Park police chief. He’s the eighth police chief for Galena Park in 10 years. Chief Kimmons officially became the chief on February 5 by a unanimous vote of the City Council.
Kimmons was raised in Jacinto City and graduated from Galena Park High School. His parents were Jim and Joyce Kimmons of Jacinto City, I remember they were good responsible citizens, they’re both deceased now.
Former Galena Park Chief Richard Wagner, who’s been GP’s chief for the past three years since March of 2022, resigned in January in good standing with the mayor and city council.
As a former police chief, in Jacinto City myself, the new chief and I had lots of similar law enforcement experiences to share with one another. Also we’re both dog lovers, he has a Doberman Pinscher named Roscoe for a pet and says it’ll become the police department’s mascot. As a police officer in Jacinto City, I owned the city’s first K9 dog, a German Shepherd named Susie. We patrolled many nights in JC together.
Kimmons said he feels good about the quality of the police department’s personnel; he’s learning about them while they’re learning his ideas for the department. His main goal will be to deliver to the community the very best in police services they deserve.
He and I discussed some of his goals and top priorities. He expressed the need to modernize some of the department’s equipment. In particular he wants to usher in new fingerprint technology to replace the antiquated equipment they now have. Also currently the police officers body camera equipment has reached the maximum number of cameras it will support; now officers have to pass on their cameras to each other at shift changes. The current patrol cars are another area of concern for Chief Kimmons. He’s wanting a complete new fleet of patrol cars equipped with all the new technologies.
The chief is aware of the political climate in Galena Park, he wants to concentrate on law enforcement and public safety and leave the politics out of his job and the police department.
Chief Kimmons has an extensive background in law enforcement. He has a Master Peace Officer’s certification; he’s a former Houston Police Officer, a former Houston Fire Fighter, and a retired Reserve Captain with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department. He was an active Reserve Captain for the Montgomery County Precinct One Constable’s Office prior to coming to Galena Park to take the helm of the department.
The Chief wants the community to work close with the police department and him. Furthermore he wants citizens to be able to trust the department’s officers and to report suspicious activity and or crimes; they can call and report and say they want to remain anonymous. To report GP crimes and suspicious activities call 713-675-3471.
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