BANGS – The Bangs City Council on Monday night unanimously approved the hire of Dennis Marrero as a police officer, joining Chief Robert Garcia – who came on board in December – to comprise the department.

Marrero has previous experience in the medical field for more than 30 years, but has not worked as a full-time law enforcement officer. Marrero has served in a reserve capacity in Mustang Ridge, just outside of Buda, for eight months.

“The first thing that I did point out to him that was my concern of him going from the medical field making the amount of money he was making to now coming to law enforcement and not making near what he was making,” Garcia told the council. “He said that he has spent 38 years in the medical field and decided two years ago to go to peace officer school and decided he wanted a change. He doesn’t want to wake up one day with that thought of ‘what if.’ He just thinks it’s time for a career change.”

Asked if Garcia felt Marrero would be a good fit for Bangs, the police chief said, “I think he will be. He looks eager to get into town. Pretty much what we talked about in our interview was the things I wanted to implement and change around here, and that is what he is wanting to do as well, and he wants to be a part of that.”

Council members stated in their talks with Marrero he has expressed the desire to move to Bangs, be an active part of the community, and retire there.

Marrero also has experience working with grants, which could aid the police department, and is also fluent in Spanish. Marrero is expected to join the Bangs Police Department in early March.

Marrero’s starting pay will be $41,000 due to the lack of experience, with a chance for an increase in pay after completing 20 days of field training while riding with Garcia.