Well-traveled deputy lands in Nixon

When Jerry Airola took the job as Pct. 4 Deputy Constable in Nixon, he quickly discovered he had found a place where he could utilize his experience to serve the Nixon area as well as a comfortable work environment that he could practically call home.

Just talking to the man, one can easily sense Airola’s fondness for his job — one that he says he naturally fits into and enjoys because of his experiences as well as the people he works with.

Born and raised in northern California, Airola’s family had been in the cattle business since 1845. His grandfather on his mother’s side was the county sheriff, and he says it was a county a lot like Gonzales in terms of size and other towns within the county.

He competed in wrestling while at Bret Hart High School, from where he graduated in 1983. He then went to the University of Iowa and competed in wrestling there as well.

“I still coach wrestling,” Airola said. “I’m the assistant wrestling coach for Canyon High School in New Braunfels.”

Airola went to the police academy in Modesto, Calif. in 1989 and later went to work as a police officer in the San Francisco Bay Area. He worked his way up to detective, and in 1995 moved to Las Vegas and became a helicopter pilot. He ended up doing contract work with law enforcement on drug abatement all over the state, as well as Colorado, Arizona and Nevada.

In 2005 Airola worked a federal contract as the air commander for the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Then in 2008 he moved to New Braunfels, where he was hired by the Department of the Interior as a major crimes investigator on government (Native American) land.

“In 2013 I decided to run for constable in Comal County,” he said, “because the then-constable was going to retire. But Texas requires you to have a Texas peace officer license. Even though I was certified on a federal level, I had too big of a break in service, so I had to go back to the academy.”

Airola then enrolled in a police academy in San Antonio, from where he later graduated. But there were still two years remaining before the constable elections. It was then that he got an offer from the Nixon Police Department to join them as a detective.

“I came here thinking I would work here for a year then go back and run for constable,” Airola said. “But then the Comal County constable changed his mind and decided to stay.”

It was then that Airola met Pct. 4 Constable John Moreno, whom he occasionally helped with criminal cases for a year while working for NPD. The rest is history.

“I was going to move to Seguin when John offered me a job doing criminal investigations,” he said. “His idea was to have somebody in the precinct who could do these types of investigations, as we’re kind of removed from the county — on the south side of the county. The nearest detective is going to be in Gonzales. He needed someone who would know the Nixon area and how to work it.”

When asked what he likes the most about working as a deputy constable in Nixon, Airola said it comes down to the people he works with and getting to do work that he specializes in.

“Mostly I like working with Constable Moreno,” he said. “He’s an honest guy, and he gives me reign to work things that I feel are important — and that will benefit our precinct and the county. It’s a great atmosphere to work in.”