For Officer Brady Lastinger, moving to Boerne was a decision made by faith. Becoming a Boerne police officer was the fulfillment of a calling he had carried much longer.
Lastinger grew up in Newport Beach, California, where he earned a business management degree from Chapman University and began working in commercial real estate, construction project management, and sales. The work was stable, but it was not where he felt he belonged.
“I never felt fulfilled,” Lastinger said. “I was at that point in my life where I was like, ‘Quit everything else. Focus on what you want to do. What fulfills you? What have you always wanted to do?’”
He and his wife had visited Boerne several times while dating. Her parents had already moved to the Hill Country, and the couple was considering where they wanted to build a life and raise children.
“The first time that we came, we absolutely fell in love with it,” Lastinger said. “We knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives here. We wanted to raise our children here.”
A Fourth of July visit, local parades, and the community’s involvement with one another made an impression.
“Everybody says Boerne’s a Hallmark town,” he said. “We were like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing.’”
About four years ago, they packed up and moved to Boerne. They later married at The Kendall and now have a seven-month-old son.
“We have a lot of faith, and we’re obviously believers,” Lastinger said. “I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
The desire to serve had been with him since childhood. He grew up in a patriotic family with relatives who served in the Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy, and his younger sister is now in law enforcement in California.
“I always knew that I wanted to do something,” he said. “Whether that be in the military, which I didn’t end up doing out of college or high school, I always felt that drive and that want. I’ve always had a calling for it.”
At 28, Lastinger began researching academies and local departments. He applied to the Boerne Police Department before he was enrolled in an academy. Though he was not yet qualified, Lt. Schmidt called him personally to explain what he would need to do.
He also connected with then-Boerne officer Cody Alderete, who encouraged him to take initiative by enrolling himself in an academy.
“A week later, I quit and signed up for the very next academy,” Lastinger said. “I was like, ‘All right, we’re doing this. This is always what I wanted to do.’”
Lastinger reapplied to Boerne midway through the academy after completing ride-alongs and getting to know officers in the department. Boerne was the only place he applied.
“I was throwing all my chips into one basket,” he said. “I really wanted to be at Boerne PD.”
He graduated from the academy in February and now serves on patrol. The part of the work that means the most to him is connecting with people in difficult moments.
“I love being able to talk to someone, de-escalate things, bring them back down to earth, and find ways I can help them,” he said.
But the public does not always see what first responders carry from one call to the next.
“We see what people think is their worst day on earth,” Lastinger said. “The reason police are involved is often just another Tuesday for us.”
He said officers may have just delivered a death notification or performed CPR on a child before moving to the next call.
“You don’t know what the last call he just went on,” he said. “Those are the things that we go to as first responders.”
That responsibility has also deepened his gratitude for home. His wife, a former emergency-room nurse who worked during COVID-19, understands the demands of the profession and gives him space to decompress after difficult shifts.
“She’s my absolute rock,” he said. “I’m very grateful and blessed to have her in my life.”
The family attends Mission City Church, and Lastinger volunteers at local churches whenever he can. He enjoys meeting people, hearing their stories, and serving as a welcoming presence.
“I will be the best greeter in the world at whatever church I go to,” he said. “I enjoy communicating with people and learning people’s stories.”
Lastinger has attended several Hope for Heroes Texas luncheons and events. To him, they offer a valuable chance for law enforcement, firefighters, EMS personnel, and community members to sit down together outside the pressure of an emergency.
“There’s not many times where we can have us, fire, EMS, and civilians really get together, share a meal together, and just talk,” he said. “We all go to these traumatic calls together, so we can kind of bond in that moment.”
He appreciates the organization because it recognizes the human beings behind the uniforms.
“We are normal guys and gals,” Lastinger said. “We still bleed on the inside. We still have emotions.”
“We are normal guys and gals. We still bleed on the inside. We still have emotions.”
He hopes to spend his full career with the Boerne Police Department, eventually promoting where God leads him. When his children are older, he can also see himself serving as a school resource officer.
“For the foreseeable future, I love where I’m at on patrol,” he said. “I want to stay on the streets.”
“Brady’s story is a reminder that service often begins with a calling that refuses to go away,” said Brad Cornell, founder of Hope for Heroes Texas. “He and his wife took a step of faith to build their life in Boerne, and he then chose a career centered on protecting the very community where they are raising their family. Hope for Heroes Texas is proud to support Brady and every first responder who carries the responsibility of serving others while still being a spouse, parent, neighbor, and friend.”
From the November 2026 issue of The Kendall Gentleman.
Brady Lastinger joins a Hope for Heroes Texas series that includes More Than the Medicine and Grounded in What Matters, and Hope for Heroes: Serving the Community He Calls Home is another look at a Boerne officer’s calling. For more from this issue, read Glynn Praesel: Don’t Ever Quit Climbing Trees.