Walk into the office of Mercedes Police Chief Frank Sanchez and the usual array of accolades and photos with colleagues and dignitaries are not featured on his workplace spaces.

The 36-year-old police chief sees his job title as an honor and one he seeks to uphold daily with respect and care for the community and his staff. Sanchez, the city’s police chief since late 2023, knows the leadership job he now occupies will someday be passed to another just as he succeeded previous chiefs.

And so, rather than touting his honors and training certificates, Sanchez would rather focus on connecting with the community with clarity and efficiency while leading the department in utilizing a servant style of leadership. It’s the kind of leadership where a leader’s primary goal is to serve others – be it a community, employees, or customers. Servant leadership prioritizes the growth and well-being of a team over wielding power.

It well describes Sanchez as he highlights his own growth and of those coming up in the department under his leadership and mentorship.

“I can’t be a great chief if I’m not a good person,” he said. “I’m trying to build a strong foundation here. What are we doing right now that can carry the city’s legacy forward?”

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Be Genuine With Community

Sanchez’s story in part is of a young man who worked his way up the ladder in a police department, learning many jobs and soaking up the words and guidance of mentors.

He came to the Mercedes PD in 2016 after a three-year stint at the La Feria Police Department. Sanchez’s first job in Mercedes was as a patrol officer before moving up to work investigations and eventually gaining leadership jobs in patrols and investigative work. He rose to the rank of lieutenant, then assistant police chief before being named interim chief in 2022.

Sanchez, a Donna native, was in his early 30s at the time. Mercedes had been through a series of chiefs in recent years. Now, the mantle of leadership fell on the shoulders of a young interim chief. Sanchez recalled feeling nervous but ready. A year into his interim duties, Sanchez was named to the chief in an official capacity in December 2023.

“By the time I got named chief, I felt assured,” he said. “I had a lot of confidence.”

For Sanchez, the confidence shown in him by the city manager and the City Commission along with the support of his family and the community bolstered his belief in taking a top leadership job years before most candidates are named police chiefs.

“I’m a great example of how you can achieve with age not playing a factor,” he said. “The city’s leadership looked at me first as a person who was working well with my team and how I was serving the community. I saw the amount of support I was getting from my staff, and it was my job to put people in the right places.”

Sanchez oversees a staff of 42 employees which includes seven female officers. The chief stresses the need for timely updates as investigative work is being done on community concerns. When residents file reports with the police department, “they have a right to know where their case is,” he said.

“Give them an answer,” Sanchez said, adding it might not be what a resident wants to hear, but it will be a resolution reached after being properly investigated.

 Property crimes and complaints about speeding drivers rushing through school zones and neighborhoods are amongst the concerns most expressed to the police department, he said. Whatever the concern cited, being genuine with people is a trait Sanchez wants his department to have, along with self-examination and reflection. The chief does so in the journals he keeps daily that recap his days.

“In leadership and in serving communities, you have to make decisions,” he said. “You review what you did and look back, ‘how did I make that decision and how did I handle it?’’

It may be a case of being wise beyond his years with a recognition of always needing to learn more.

-         Ric Cavazos

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