27 March 2025, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – Two years ago, now retired El Paso Police Sgt. Linda Hanner and three two others had hoped to shed light on a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination within EPPD.
What was alleged is that EPPD is nothing short of a hostile workplace for women, both for Officers and civilian employees. The allegations included a misogynistic environment and rampant sexism.
Imagine you had to go through the harassment of filing internal charges against fellow officers in hopes of changing the way people view you and other female officers. Then, after all was said and done, the officers you filed against were placed back on duty with seemingly no repercussions.
Let’s take this a bit further. Two years after all of this happened, you suddenly became a poster in the office of Sgt. Patrick G. Natividad, badge #1506. That poster, seen below, is Natividad’s way of ridiculing you for what you attempted to change. Even worse, Natividad is the president of the El Paso Police Officers Association.
What is happening within the Department is nothing new, and some policies address harassment. Section 925 of the El Paso Police Department’s Policy and Procedure manual says, at the very beginning, Employees have the right to a workplace free from discrimination, intimidation, retaliation, and harassment from co-employees and supervisory personnel.
Click here to read section 925 of the Policy and Procedures Manual.
Click here to read/download the Policy and Procedures Manual.
After Sgt. Hanner and other officers filed their reports, and El Paso Chief Pacillas emailed EPPD staff, outlining the existing policies on discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. “To be very clear, discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation violate Federal and State law and the City of El Paso and El Paso Police Department policy! There is a zero-tolerance policy, and supervisory personnel must & will act immediately per the law and policy.”
What if the one now violating the policy is a member of supervisory personnel? Who will determine if the poster that Natividad, which can be seen publicly by anyone walking by his office, is considered a form of harassment, retaliation, or just ridiculing a now private citizen?
In that same email, Pacillas wrote, “All EPPD personnel have the fundamental right to a workplace free from discrimination, intimidation, retaliation, and harassment from their peers, co-workers, and supervisory personnel. We need to understand and apply the ‘Golden Rule’ and continue to practice the finest traditions of the El Paso Police Department of respect for the dignity of others, whether dealing with the public or our co-workers.”
“This is not right,” says a Westside Regional Command Officer. Our job is to protect people, not make them the object of ridicule like Natividad is doing with that poster.”
Could this even be an ethics violation? Natividad has this poster hanging for all to see. According to the documentation below, which was once given to City employees, it should be reported if it is against policy.
Click here to view the Ethic Sheet provided to us by an Officer with the El Paso Police Department.
“Patrick [Sgt. Patrick G. Natividad] should know better; he should be above this,” says another EPPD Officer. “He is a sergeant; as such, he should be an example of integrity that others may look up to. What he is doing with this is juvenile. We should be beyond reproach. This poster makes us all look bad.”
“We Conduct Ourselves With Dignity” is the final Core Value of the El Paso Police Department.
“This is not dignified,” says a former EPPD Officer. “The image you showed me, this representation of a fellow officer, is disgusting. Regardless of personal feelings or grudges, you must hold each officer in high regard, not belittle them in such a public fashion.”
The Department has an image problem, which they need to address.
You can reach Chief Peter Pacillas at [email protected]
You can reach Sgt. Patrick G. Natividad at [email protected]
You can also reach the City Manager, Dionne Mack, at [email protected]
You can reach me at [email protected]