Toledo police promotion ceremony has family feeling

The Bombrys family includes, from left, Capt. Wes; Ed, Sr.; Sgt. Mike; Sgt. Matthew, and Lt. Ed, Jr. Ed, Sr., a Toledo Police Department retiree, is the father of the other four, who serve on the force now.

KING / BLADE

The Bombrys family includes, from left, Capt. Wes; Ed, Sr.; Sgt. Mike; Sgt. Matthew, and Lt. Ed, Jr. Ed, Sr., a Toledo Police Department retiree, is the father of the other four, who serve on the force now.

If you re looking for a Toledo police command officer with the last name of Bombrys, you better know the person s first name.

Beginning yesterday, there are now two sergeants, a lieutenant, and a captain by that name, all of whom are brothers. To make things more familial, their father is a retired Toledo police captain.

“It s great to follow in the family tradition,” Sgt. Matthew Bombrys said after he was promoted during a ceremony in the chief s office downtown.

His older brother, who advanced to lieutenant, agreed.

“I m just trying to follow in their footsteps,” said Lt. Ed Bombrys, who worked as an accountant before becoming a police officer.

Their father, retired Capt. Ed Bombrys, and their brothers, Capt. Wes Bombrys and Sgt. Mike Bombrys, smiled and applauded as they and two other officers - Mark Collins and Michael Troendle - were promoted.

With the promotion, the department gained a lieutenant and three sergeants.

“Four out of the six [sons] are policemen. It s nice. I feel very proud of the boys,” said Capt. Ed Bombrys, who retired in 1993. He and his wife of 45 years, Anne, also have two daughters.

Samantha Bombrys plays withthe badge worn by her father, Matthew, after his promotion to sergeant yesterday at the Safety Building.

But they weren t the only ones watching a relative advance in the ranks.

Don Collins, who retired as a patrol officer in 1988, proudly saw his son, Mark, receive his sergeant s badge from the chief and recite the oath of allegiance.

Sergeant Troendle s stepfather also is a retired patrol officer with the department. Thomas Gonia, who retired in 1992, was in Florida and couldn t make it to the ceremony, Sergeant Troendle said.

Nonetheless, he and his fellow officers who were promoted thanked their families and friends for supporting them. The four new command officers will be assigned to field operations.

Sgt. Matthew Bombrys said his father didn t push him in one career direction or another. But his brothers, Capt. Wes Bombrys and Sgt. Mike Bombrys, were glad to see the promotions.

“I m very proud of them both. They ve done a good job,” Capt. Wes Bombrys said.

With all the police officer brothers now in command positions, only one question remains. Who s going to be handing out orders at home?

“Work is done at work, and home is done at home,” Lieutenant Bombrys said.

His brother, Sgt. Matthew Bombrys, agreed.

“We re still brothers and dads,” he said. “Nobody gives them.”

- CHRISTINA HALL