EPPD's Lt. Jones

There is no end to the material to write about regarding Lt. Christopher Jones of the Northeast Regional Command of the El Paso Police Department.

"Have you seen his [Jones] office?" an Officer asked us today. "It's like he's ready for World War Z in there."

"Jones likes to tell stories about 'his' time in the field," another Officer said during a conversation. "There was a time he was telling one of 'his' war stories, and another officer stopped him and said that happened to someone else, not him. The firearms in his office? That's another part of his 'war' stories."

In a previous article, we mentioned that not many officers seem to like Lt. Jones.

"Jones is, in my opinion, physically off, mentally delusional, and walks all hunched over like an old man," says another Officer from the Northeast. "He stays inside his office, or like last week, he will lurk around asking questions like he's trying to find out who is not liking him."

Officers have described his office as some morbid teenager's bedroom with little trinkets and merchandise scattered about.

The hunched-over, brittle man rocks in his chair, making various squeaking noises that should be coming from his office chair; sadly, we are told, that is not the case.

"The only other thing you hear is unending South Park videos on YouTube," says a senior Officer. "He's an overgrown teenager. Simple as that."

The Walking Dead is a pretense of his delusional outer self as he shadows himself with iconic lamps and merchandise from the television series.

Hanging over the doorway as you enter is a Snoopy plush toy hanging by fishing wire, leering down at you. The room is filled with tote boxes to the very wall stacked up like massive Lego blocks, reaching to a rifle rack where two rifles are mounted, all equipped with the latest accessories attached as it sits motionless on the wall.

"I was at the Academy with Jones," says a Senior Officer who asked, as every other Officer does, not to reveal their name. "He's had this fascination with other people's stories and histories. He then gleans from those stories and makes them his own. I try to avoid him at all costs."

Suppose you turn your eyes towards the wall. As you run, you'll see more fully equipped rifles, shotguns, and other weapon systems hanging on the adjoining wall. His desk is aligned with oils, scattered metal pieces for weapon systems, old rags, armourer's tools (self-acclaimed gun specialist according to many of the officers we spoke to), and various other mechanical tools. If you are lucky he might suddenly turn to his palm size drone and launch the thing out of his office to fly down the hallway "spying" or better still fly over peoples heads causing an updraft blowing all your sensitive material/documents up into the air as you hear a childish gaggle coming from the walls of his office.

"He crashed that drone," says another Officer. "One day, coming out of his office, that drone crashes down the hall."

We checked if Christopher Jones has an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. We were told he does not.

"What would have happened if he had hurt someone with that thing? Nothing. We all know EPPD protects Leutenants," said the Officer who told us about Jones crashing his drone.

"That office, it's like a junk yard," says another Officer. "I don't know why they don't make him clean it out."

We are told his office is like a maze. If you get past the fridge, the fan, a portable closet, all the tools hanging everywhere, and the broom and dustpan, you'll find yourself facing a shelf full of old clothes and junk.

"I get this show on YouTube about people who never clean out their homes," said another Officer. "It's like that, it's a mess."

I asked if he was talking about the A&E series Horders. The Officer said that was the show he was talking about.

A cabinet sits on the floor with large, rectangular-like shapes. .223 rifle magazines, attached to a bracket with fully topped magazines filled with bullets, sit side by side.

The feeling of needing to accumulate a large quantity of guns, even if they won't be used, could be related to several mental health conditions, most notably compulsive hoarding or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Additionally, certain personality disorders, like antisocial personality disorder, or issues with impulse control, could also contribute to this behavior.

"It's like a war room, not an office," says another Officer.

Weapons systems, magazines, and a $500.00 tactical helmet that we're told he will brag about.

"That helmet," laughs another Officer, "has custom memory foam, lighting attachments, googles, and only God knows what else. He likes to say he's ready for anything. All the money he spent, maybe this is why he calls his wife his roommate and always says she wants a divorce."

According to the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), the primary source for verifying military status and service history, Jones never served in the military.

"Walk by that office," says another Officer, "and you'll see how sad it is. A grown a** man who takes the stories of others and makes them his own, collecting weapons that he hangs like trophies on the wall, and does what with it? Nothing."

We've submitted additional Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain Jones' police service records to determine whether he's ever been in a life-or-death situation. However, we've been told that we are wasting our time in seeking such records.

"Lives for the 'glory' and will show up to a crime scene, like the one at Lava Rock, where you got that photo of him," says another. "Chris Jones will make anything all about himself. It's like an ego boost to him!"

As officers began to talk with each other and word of this article began to spread, we began to hear from even more officers, some of whom had left the Northeast long ago but still recall Jones.

"He's an absolute creep," says another Officer who can't stand to be near him. "He acts like a person with autism; he's not all there. He needs that pat on the back, that 'atta boy.' He'll drag his heels all day if he doesn't get that."

I feel sorry for Jones, in a way. He's decided to come and go as he pleases, not having to follow a schedule. In EPPD: The Department's Flat Tires, we wrote about how he decided to come in later, citing some study that says people work better when the sun is up.

"Nobody respects him; he's nothing but a fool," says another Officer.

"He's no help to anyone, only himself," says a Sergeant from the Northeast. He's a constant liar, a manchild who always wants to one-up you."

Why are we hard on Jones? First, one should lead by example. If you send someone out in the field, you should be able to do the same work yourself. You should remember what it's like to walk up on a car, after dark, not knowing if they are going to give you their driver's license, or pull a gun on you. You should know what it's like to talk a suicidal suspect down. You should be able to break up a domestic abuse call.

Second, you should not degrade others. Most Officers in the El Paso Police Department are respectful, caring men and women. I have stories of Officers being sent to a store because of a shoplifting call. When they discovered that the person caught in loss prevention was only buying food for their baby, the Officers paid for that food and helped the person, not arrested them.

Another story we have is of an Officer who encountered someone at a gas station, and no way to fill up their tank. That Officer paid for a tank of gas.

I have many of these stories and videos. Can I run them? No. If I do, I've learned the officers will be suspended.

Then, there are people like Jones.

There was a woman who came into the lobby of the Northeast Regional Command Center. This woman was caught in a mental health crisis. Rather than helping, rather than "Being the Change," he called her a devil worshipper.

Then there is the Officer in the Traffic/Morors Unit that Jones persists in calling an insulting, racial term.

I write about these stories, like Jones, Lt. Frank Rodriguez, or Detective Jerome Hinojosa, because they can do better and be better.

"I can't respect them," says Heather Cookson, and El Paso resident. "I can't respect them becuase of the way they treated my father-in-law when he needed help. That CIT team said he was fine, and a day later, he killed himself."

"They ain't give a damn about us," says Jorge Mendoza, of El Paso's Lower Valley. "You got some who care, but you got too many that want to make trouble because we live in the Kennedys."

I know the department can do better, but they won't, and that's your tax dollars at work.

I'm left wondering what other dark, little secrets Jones is really keeping, what he's hiding behind for fear of it seeing the light. Many people have skeletons in their closets, wearing badges. It's a bit worrisome, wouldn't you say?