Officer known for enthusiasm
In his official Houston Police Department photo, there’s a hint of a smile on Ernest Leal’s face that coworkers agree probably erupted after the shutter clicked.
A smile and a welcoming demeanor seemed Leal’s default. He was a senior
officer after 36 years, but colleagues said he never lost his youthful enthusiasm for community-centered-work. The temples of his hairline might have been a bit grayer, the list of colleagues and happenings a bit longer, but Leal lasted in a job he could have retired from years ago. Even after a heart attack.
“He looked the same to me as he did when I met him,” said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who
met Leal early in his HPD career, when Leal was already a seasoned patrolman.
Leal, 60, was still on duty into October when he tested positive for COVID-19, around the same time a handful of co-workers also received results. By early November, he was struggling, and friends and co-workers sounded the alarm that he wasn’t doing well. Just before Thanksgiving, patrol officers in the North Station started their shift with a brief prayer service showing their support for Leal. On Friday, he died in a Cypress hospital.
His absence leaves a void on the force, at the union hall and in the community, police said.
“He was always one of those guys who took care of his business,” said Douglas Griffith, vice president of the Houston Police Officers’ Union.
Leal wanted to make a difference, co-workers said. He couldn’t chase suspects down alleys anymore but could work with the department’s differential response team to address community concerns. He could counsel younger officers and offer a calm voice on a call. Side by side with his wife, Dee, a retired HPD officer, the couple chipped in at charity events and the union’s activities.
“Ernest was never 2 feet away from her,” Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said. “He was quiet and waited for the next instruction” from her.
Garcia, a former officer at HPD who worked there when Leal arrived, said Leal could fill a room when he needed to but enjoyed fading into the background to for his wife to shine.
“Itwas just funny to see him, as the veteran cop he was, that he was so quiet around her,” Garcia said.
It was, however, a dynamic that worked and kept both of them busy. Leal’s love of being in motion was evident as officers scrambled during Hurricane Harvey, Griffith said.
“He was out in the middle of things, and when he couldn’t he’d be at the union with us helping officers” Griffith said.
In addition to his wife, Leal is survived by children Victor, Veronica, Virginia and Vannesa; his mother, Rosa; two brothers, David and Marcus; and a sister, Brenda.
Leal’s death marks the police department’s fifth line of duty death within the past year but the first from COVID-19. Three Harris County sheriff’s deputies and one Harris County Precinct 5 constable deputy have also died from the virus.
Upon learning Leal was struggling, police rallied around the family. Dee was isolating in Kyle with her elderly parents, who were also hospitalized. Cards and well-wishes poured into HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress, where Leal’s condition grew increasingly worse, even when visitation was limited. Still, Griffith said, after he pulled through the heart attack to return to work, police hoped he’d do it again.
His condition turned critical, and the hospital started flying a “thin blue line” flag showing support for first responders on a pole outside his room. It was flying when he died.
Funeral services are pending.