Again, EPPD Just Don’t Have It
18 December 2024, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – Yesterday, we published an article entitled “Go To Bars And Get Your Bars” about El Paso Police Sergeant Jessica Grijalva, her DWI arrest, and her new assignment within the Department.
Go To Bars and Get Your Bars – Southwest News Today
“It is a new one for me,” said the officer. “I bet they plan to keep her out of the spotlight and promote her. Go to bars and get your bars seems to be what it’s about.”
When that article was published, I sent a FOIA request to the El Paso Police Department requesting motor vehicle recordings of Grijalva’s arrest.
“When she [Grijalva] was interacting with the officers,” says an officer who has seen footage of the arrest, “she was demanding they contact other officers who would let her go.”
During the stop, Officer Grijalva requested that a senior officer, a personal friend of her, be called to the scene. She also became argumentative, lied about drinking, and took control of the stop from the initial officer.
Our only video of the arrest is from a Citizen Journalist from Horizon News Service.
The El Paso Police Department, through its Public Information Officers, has said they value transparency. Yet, that transparency seems to be lacking when it involves criminal acts of their own.
“I’ve had the misfortune of working with Grijalva,” says an officer who works out of Five Points. “She acts like she is above us, above the law, and I promise you will not get that video.”
How did the City of El Paso answer our request?
Please be advised that I have been informed that there are no responsive documents pertaining to your request. As no responsive documents have been located, there is no charge associated with this response and your request is now considered closed.
Sincerely,
Emily Sanchez/C2044
Police Record Specialist/Open Records
El Paso Police Department
The City of El Paso and the El Paso Police Department rely on the above answer too often. Why would they not want the public to see the video? Because they would then have to act.
“The conduct Sgt. Grijalva that night falls far below the standards we hope to instill within our officers,” says an officer at the Police Academy. “Drinking, driving, speeding, and then seeking to use your influence to stop the investigation and subsequent arrest is daming for our department. Regardless of what departmental policy says, I will locate and send you the video. There must be accountability. There needs to be trust between us and the citizens of El Paso.”
That officer is correct; trust is needed, and everything the City of El Paso and the El Paso Police Department do when one of their own is involved erodes that trust.
