“I want to give you this screenshot of what the chief has sent to all of us. It is really only empty words coming from someone who really doesn’t listen to us. We say we need something, like shields, and he buys us batons. The chief is a hypocrite and this shows you are starting to get to him.”  

5 May 2024, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – That was part of an email we received on Friday, 3 May 2023, from an officer within the El Paso Police Department. 

This is the email this officer is referencing:

The content of the email, in case you cannot read the screenshot we were provided, says:

All,

I directed the Executive Staff to review Alternative Scheduling options for sworn personnel in patrol. The project was to find potential solutions to assist patrol with the demands of providing police services to our community, balancing officer safety and wellness, and opening the Upper Eastside Regional Command Center. Your wellness, as officers, is not just a priority but a cornerstone of our operations. In September, we attended twenty-one shift meetings to discuss alternative staffing and elicit solutions from those directly affected.

Upon review and consideration, we will no longer pursue an alternative schedule. I understand that this project has stirred up many concerns. I want to assure you that I hear you. Together, we still need to address pressing issues and develop viable solutions to address service to the public and officer wellness demands. I will continue to work for you and with you to find ways as a team to address the department’s concerns to ensure we do our duty to serve our community.

In closing, when times are difficult, we must reflect on the day we took our oath of office. We took the same oath of office and had our shields pinned to our uniforms. Once the shield was pinned on our shirts, it became the most prominent symbol of our commitment to others. There is a reason the shield is larger than our name tag: We take our calling seriously and are committed to our duty to protect others. We will continue to uphold the finest traditions of the El Paso Police Department.

Sincerely,

Peter Pacillas

Chief of Police

The El Paso Police Department has had a staffing problem for quite some time. This problem affects not only other officers but also you and me. This email from Chief Pacillas to every officer in the Department is the first admission that the Command Staff does not know what to do.

Officers have worked long shifts, and that’s nothing new. What is new is that the El Paso Police Department was looking at longer shift cycles to fill the gaps but has now abandoned the idea of officer wellness. 

We have been writing about the ridiculous overtime for just one officer, Lt. Frank Rodreguez, of the Northeast Regional Command—an officer who puts in an entire eight-hour shift, almost daily, of TxDot overtime. Overtime that the Department’s own Policy and Procedure manual says is to be capped at no more than twenty-five hours a week. 

“Your wellness, as officers, is not just a priority but a cornerstone of our operations. In September, we attended twenty-one shift meetings to discuss alternative staffing and elicit solutions from those directly affected,” says the Chief of Police, Peter Pacillas, in his email to Officers.

If wellness is such a concern, why are select officers allowed to work thirty+ hours of overtime per week, every week, without fail?

If wellness is a cornerstone of operations, why doesn’t the Department stop promoting the bad guys, encourage the good guys, and give them support?

Officers who feel valued and appreciated are likelier to stay committed to their jobs. The El Paso Police Department can use various recognition methods, such as awards, promotions, and public praise. Additionally, offering incentives such as bonuses or extra time off can motivate officers to perform well and save the lives of officers and civilians.

“Promotions are not based on merit. Were they merit based we would not see some of these men and women as sergeants or LT’s. I don’t believe the chief see that, or cares,” says another officer we spoke with yesterday.

“This job is not easy,” says another Officer who sent us a screenshot of the Chief’s email this evening. “When I arrive to service a call that has been pending for hours, I get yelled at because the people don’t know how bad things are for us. No one really wants to work for a police department that doesn’t care for its officers. Does the chief believe what he sent out, or did someone write it for him, and he just copied it?”

Take care of the good Officer, Chief. Maybe consider cutting down on the overtime that so few monopolize so others can have a shot at it. Apply policy equally rather than burying your head in the sand, thinking it will disappear.

Chief Pacills, I can give you the perfect gauge to judge the success of your programs – when Officers stop coming to me with complaints and issues you refuse to address, you know you are starting to make a positive change. Until those officers feel valued and appreciated and are not taken advantage of by ranking officers who gobble up the overtime for themselves or you start to listen rather than make snide comments to them, this is the hill I will die on. I will be their voice.