Six brothers in uniform for Harris Co. Sheriff's department

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- They say law enforcement is a brotherhood, and perhaps no other family exemplifies that than the Thomas brothers of Harris County.

Five of the six brothers work at the Harris County Sheriff's Department. Dan Thomas, the oldest, is a Harris County Precinct 1 Deputy Constable.

Dep. Dan Thomas is 58 and in Patrol. He's followed by Sgt. Doug Thomas, 55, in Special Investigations. Number three in the family is Mike Thomas, 54, a patrol sergeant. Deputy David Thomas is 52 and has been a K-9 officer for decades, and 49-year-old Sgt. Jeff Thomas is currently working the County Jail. The youngest, James Thomas, is 45 and works in the homicide division.

"He's the baby," chided one brother. "Yes, I am," answered James, to laughter by all.

"I think everyone here -- we get our work ethics from our dad. We're all hard workers, so we enjoy being here," said Doug.

Mom and Dad Thomas raised seven kids, six boys one girl. David, the k- 9 officer, was the first to put on a uniform. He was a Houston Police Officer before joining the Sheriff's Department.

"I think it's kind of infectious, he (David) started, and then me and Doug started in the Sheriff's Department," says Mike.

Eventually, all the brothers joined in. Even their lone sister worked as a civilian in the Sheriff's Department for a few years. It has led some obvious confusion among their coworkers over the years.

"They always ask, how many of them are there and we tell them the number, and they say that's just unbelievable," says James.

Along the way, they have kept their senses of humor, especially when it comes to their physical similarities. The brothers are all somewhere between 5'5'' and 5'7'', most also go with the clean-shaven hair style.

"If I ever do anything wrong, this is the lineup I want," says David, motioning to his similar looking siblings. "Which one was it?"

The Thomas brothers say they always remember their first priority is to help others. They are grateful that can rely on each other to do so.

"There are a lot of people with a lot of things," says Doug, "But I have five heroes in my life."