Command Staff Recording Officers

There is a problem at the Northeast Regional Command for the El Paso Police Department, and the Command Staff either refuses to acknowledge it or just doesn't care.

The following email was sent to me by eleven different Officers, all out of the Northeast:

We need to understand that the officer's morale is low, partly due to the following: Audio will stay on in report writing room cameras.

Being a Police Officer is not easy. It is one of the most complex and underappreciated jobs one can do. Officers are often harassed by the public, fellow officers, and command staff.

One of the ways to burn off steam is to vent to your fellow officers. If you are assigned to the Northeast Regional Command, you can be written up for venting about the Command Staff.

"I'm no longer assigned to the Northeast," says an Officer with EPPD. "But I do know that Officers there get written up just for talking. No one wants to be there, in the station. It's that bad there."

While venting to coworkers about your boss can offer temporary emotional relief, it's generally not a sustainable or productive strategy for resolving workplace issues. But can officers speak to Command Staff, or even the Chief, about their issues and problems? The short answer is no.

"[Chief Peter] Pacillas says he will talk to us about problems we observe," says another EPPD Officer. "The problem comes from Pacillas pretending that what you've told him is new and that he's never heard it. Several of us have mentioned the same issues to him, and all he does is act surprised."

Every officer we've spoken to says the same thing about Pacillas: he acts unaware of the issue, and promises to address it. Unfortunately, nothing is done.

The problems with the Northeast speak to a larger problem within the Department: Command Staff, rather than addressing the issues and correcting them, would rather root out our sources and punish them. To that end, I sent the following email to Lt. Jones this morning:

"I worked with him [Jones] before I lateraled to a different department," says a former EPPD Officer. "The only image the man cares about is his image, not the departments. He's an example of someone who never should have made Lt."

Still, Jones is not the only one who cares about his image or how he is perceived in the public eye.

"The Chief wanted to be Chief," says an EPPD Officer who worked closely with Pacillas. "You know how he was able to get his job. He fired two officers, John Surface and Adan Chavez, made a press conference announcing their arrest, and made sure the media knew what was going to happen before it happened."

Survace and Chavez were arrested and charged with Official Oppression, and they were fired simply because of the arrest. The District Attorney declined the case against them. However, other officers have been arrested and are still employed by the Department: Ron Martin, who embezzled money from the El Paso Municipal Police Officers' Association, and, recently, Officer Nazik Elomari, who was arrested for DWI.

"They [Police Command] are putting the community last and helping themselves first. This has been going on for years and years," says an Officer out of Five Points. "Command and Pacillas are hurting the department and the people, and they don't care."

Audio will stay on in report writing room cameras. These cameras are not there to monitor arrested offenders or prevent people from stealing city-owned property. They watch officers and listen to what they say.

"Officers have been written up for what they've said," says another Officer who used to work out of the Northeast. "It's the Commander's version of 1984 and needs to stop."

It's hard enough being a police officer. Officers out in the field or interacting with the public must be mindful of their words and actions. Not only can they find themselves in court, being sued for what they've done, but they have to worry about Command staff and Lieutenant who've not been in the field for years, fielding calls, writing them up for solving problems the best way they can.

"No one wants to join EPPD," says a retired Officer. "You're pulled a million different ways, and left on your own out there. Not enough on patrol to clear calls, higher-ups prioritizing things like looking for stolen cars, and not forgetful. Why be a cop when you can get fired for just doing your job?"