26 November 2024, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – Imagine you are watching the Del Valle homecoming parade with your mom. You’re standing in front of the apartments on Warrick and Betel, enjoying yourself. You’re having fun.

Now, imagine that while you are watching the parade, your mother is assaulted by someone in front of an officer from the El Paso Police Department.

Your mother is on the ground; you help her up and then speak to the officer, Sergeant Miguel Pacheco, badge number 2220.

At first, the officer didn’t want to do anything. The El Paso Police Department only wants to act if they witness or have video of the incident. In this case, however, Pacheco was right there.

Imagine you are talking to the officer, pressing him to make an arrest or a report. He gets mad because you are telling him to do his job. He threatens to arrest you, not write a report or do any actual police work. Let that sink in.

One El Paso resident doesn’t have to imagine this; it happened to her and her mother. On 26 September 2024, at about 1900hrs, Sergent Pacheco failed to do his job as a police officer.

Not only did he fail to perform his duty as a police officer, but he also violated El Paso Police Department Policy and Procedures by not wearing a body-worn camera while out working the Del Valle parade.

Are officers required to wear issued cameras when performing extra duty? Yes, police officers in Texas must wear body-worn cameras (BWCs) while working extra duty if the employment is related to police or security and approved by the department. Officers should treat extra duty work like normal duty and activate their BWC when appropriate. They should also upload recordings from extra duty work by the end of their first regular duty day.

“When an officer is working something like a parade,” says an officer from the Pebble Hills Regional Command, “they are working in the full capacity of an officer. Pacheco, as a sergeant, should know this, but he often does what he wants.”

Transparency is an integral part of the problem with the El Paso Police Department, and Pacheco is an essential part of that problem. Video from his body-worn camera would have shown him acting unprofessionally. That video could have been a great teaching tool for other officers on not interacting with civilians.

Not only did Pacheco fail in his duties as a sergeant, but he also classified an assault as a misdemeanor. The misclassification of cases is another problem he has, and it seems not to be a secret within the department.

“He [Pacheco] will do more work trying to get out of work than actual work,” says an officer who used to work closely with him. “He’s the epitome of just collecting a check.”

Southwest News Today has submitted a FOIA requesting specific information regarding the officer’s interaction with the victim and her daughter.

We deserve better, El Paso and nothing will change until enough of us call for change.