This is just a reminder to the officers named in this article and the Command Staff of the El Paso Police Department, and you, the reader, will understand why we are starting here: Please remember that any attempt or any form to expose any person or people will be considered retaliation, hostile work environment, threats, harassment, or any other US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission based on a federal level. 

2 May 2024, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – We are back writing about Lt. Frank Rodriguez of the Northeast Regional Command Center of the El Paso Police Department. 

The Jerusalem Press is aware that command staff are aware of the articles written concerning the Department and its need for equalizing policies and procedures across the board. In the case of Rodriguez, his overtime is a direct violation of those policies and procedures. 

Rodriguez was allowed to continue his overtime, hijack a shift meeting to challenge others to box him if they have a problem with overtime, and now use department time and resources for a vendetta over who has provided the Jerusalem Press with four-plus years of his pay. 

According to statements he’s making around the Department, Lt. Rodriguez is conducting audits to see who is leaking his criminal amount of overtime.

We continue to receive his pay and hours. After our article ran, Rodriguez reviewed the Departmental approved twenty-five hours per week. 

According to the Procedures policy, page 465 under 900.4 Restrictions. Subsection D) Outside employment is limited to 25 hours per week. Rodreguez’s work for TexDot is considered outside employment, not departmental overtime. 

When Rodriguez decides he wants over time, the procedure is as follows:

Sgt. Mike Garcia sends out a bid showing open overtime slots for TexDot. There can be two or three openings weekly. 

When Sgt. Garcia sends these out, the overtime usually goes to the first ten responding officers. We have been told by several officers who have attempted to get this overtime that their slots are filled within seconds of receiving the bid. 

“It’s as if Frank Rodriguez has a permanent spot on this every week,” says one officer.

Another officer from the El Paso Police Department sent us the following: “Lieutenant Rodriguez, it is crucial to consider the implications of your actions. Using threats and intimidation to assert your authority is not only ineffective but also detrimental to the morale and productivity of your team. Please reflect on your behavior and take steps to rectify the situation.”

We have a rogue officer abusing his authority to harass other officers within the Department, a Sergeant who allows him unlimited overtime, and a leadership within the El Paso Police Department that is very much SS-like. Yes, it takes a lot for a Jew to compare a small subset of police officers to the worst example in history, but there it is. 

On 15 April, Rodriguez was out there again, performing overtime.

Why are we making an issue of overtime? Two reasons.

First, fatigue can lead to impaired judgment, slower reaction times, and decreased situational awareness, which can compromise officer safety and result in adverse outcomes for the public. For example, tired officers may be more prone to making mistakes, misreading situations, reacting inappropriately to situations targeting fellow officers for abuse, and misusing police resources for personal vendettas. 

Officers might even face civil litigation and financial exposure from an off-duty incident. Whether concerns involve financial issues, scheduling, or insurance coverage, hiring a third-party provider to administer your off-duty program can help mitigate this risk. The City of El Paso and the El Paso Police Department would only consider hiring a third-party provider to administer programs, but we feel that is needed.

The second reason we keep shining a light on this is because of policy. How can we, the citizens whom these officers have sworn to protect and uphold the laws of the State of Texas, trust them if we cannot even trust them to police themselves?

Not all officers are bad. One officer has mentioned that about one-third are corrupt, one-third are just there to collect a check, and the remaining third do all the work. It’s that latter third the Jerusalem Press is fighting for.

Not to mention, former police officers were indicted on multiple counts of tampering with government records and stood accused of submitting overtime reimbursement requests containing false information as to the times worked and the number of traffic citations issued.  

The requests were submitted from 2009 through 2010 while working overtime under the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, funded through a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) grant.

Several officers were terminated from the Department for the same conduct that Lt. Frank Rodriguez, seemingly with the help of Sgt. Mike Gracia is doing it today. The only difference between Rodriguez and the officers in the investigation is the citations issued. 

Rodriguez is not issuing any citations during his overtime. He bravely babysits a construction site while planning the swimming pool he wants to build or his next bragging session about his 401k.

As Rodriguez and Sgt. Mike Gracia read this, and Frank begins to react over and starts down the warpath, searching for which of your fellow officers can no longer sand you; please remember that any attempt or any form to expose any person or people will be considered retaliation, hostile work environment, threats, harassment, or any other US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission based on a federal level.