Fraud, Abuse, Waste

There is an accountability problem within the El Paso Police Department. Over the past several days, I have been attempting to contact Lt. Christopher Jones of the Northeast Regional Command. With each call, I was told he was not at work.

I have had others attempt to reach him by telephone, and they have been given the same answer. None of us left voicemails because we knew he would never respond to the media.

After these calls, I began to reach out to Officers at the Northeast Regional Command.

"He's just not coming in," says one Officer currently on the day shift. "I never see him. Could mean he comes in late and bangs out early, but I never see him."

Another Officer from day shift says the same thing: "He hasn't been here for a long time," says that Officer. "He was here one day, asking questions and walking around like he was king of the world, and then nothing."

What happens when an Officer doesn't show up for duty? Is there any accountability? And is this a problem with one Officer?

"You have senior Officers who should not be in command who just come and go as they please," says a civilian employee with the El Paso Police Department. "Every Officer is on salary; they are paid if they show up for work or not. There are procedures to follow if they don't show up, but I hardly see those followed."

What I've learned is that senior Officers, Sergeants, and above, there is very little accountability.

Let's look at what should happen if a Lieutenant fails to report for duty.

A Lieutenant is expected to work five days a week, eight hours a day, or may work four ten-hour days.

Officers used to clock in for their shifts, but the El Paso Police Department no longer utilizes such methods to track Officer's attendance. What Officers do is show up for work, may or may not attend a shift meeting, and then hit the streets.

The Lieutenant, who works the day shift, is supposed to be at the station at 0500 in uniform. In the case of Jones, he will report for duty whenever he feels like it, out of uniform, and will remain out of uniform until just before the Commander reports for duty.

When a Lieutenant doesn't show up for work, the Commander must reach out to the Lieutenant to ask why they have not reported for duty.

"Jones is gone, it seems," says yet another Officer on days. "As another Officer said, he may come in after we are already out and leave before we get back to the station, but he's just AWOL."

A Lieutenant, or any other Officer, who doesn't report for duty or answer their phone will receive a welfare check.

"I once had to do a welfare check on Jones," says an Officer. "He just didn't wake up until I was pounding at his door. Said he wasn't coming in."

At this point, until contact is made, the Officer is AWOL (Absent Without Leave).

According to the El Paso Police Department Policy and Procedures Manual, Chapter 9: Personnel Policies, 914 Leave, we read:

Taking leave prior to approval may result in the employee being considered absent without leave (AWOL), and the employee may be subject to disciplinary action. An exception is sick leave or any other type of leave taken in an emergency situation in which case the supervisor verbally approving the leave must enter the leave and approve it as soon as is practical.

Using Christopher Jones, badge #2199, as an example, his oversleeping should not be considered an emergency that requires a supervisor's verbal approval for leave. We've submitted a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request for Jones' Internal Affairs card.

"He [Jones], like most in higher ranks, never get punished," says another Officer with EPPD. "It's an open secret that IA [Internal Affairs] has said they will not go after anyone with the rank of Lt or above because they don't want officers to file reports thinking it would just be retaliation towards those higher ranked officers."

In the case of Jones or any officer oversleeping and triggering a welfare check to their home and then deciding they are not going to work, it is supposed to result in a written infraction and/or termination. Yet, the Department seems unable to follow its own Policy and Procedures Manual.

"Policy doesn't apply to people like Lieutenant and Commanders, even Detectives," says an Officer at Pebble Hills. "It's like that saying, 'rules for thee, but not for me.' No wonder we can't recruit or keep Officers."

To compound matters, when a Lieutenant doesn't come to work, they are still paid.

If Officers use three days of SLP (Sick Leave Police), on the fourth day, they go on FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). Yes, Officers are automatically placed on FMLA.

According to EPPD Policies and Procedures, FMLA is for:

Nothing in the Policies and Procedures Manual, which you can read and download by clicking here, says that FMLA should be automatic if you miss three days of work for sick leave.

According to the El Paso Police Department and the City of El Paso, there are not records that track days Officers simply do not report to work (AWOL):

The lack of accountability and the easy abuse of days off are a result of our tax dollars at work. An anointed few with the Command structure, and we are not talking about everyone in Command, have learned how to abuse the system and have created a buddy system whereby their failure to report for duty will covered and excused. It may be time for facial recognition software to be utilized by command staff for clocking in and out of duty.

If you feel there should be change to these policies, contact the following individuals:

Chief Peter Pacillas [email protected]

El Paso City Manager Dionne Mack [email protected]

Commander Hernandez [email protected]

Lt. Christopher Jones [email protected]