Originally titled: UPDATE: Inciriaga, EPPD, Transparency

27 November 2024, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – We have an update on Julie Harris Inciriaga.

“She is no longer at Five Points,” says an officer we spoke with yesterday. “Inciriaga was given a choice, retire at commanders pay or be demoted, or that’s what the word is.

All indications point to Julie Harris Inciriaga being demoted. She is now the Commander of the new Upper Eastside Regional Command Center.

“I know I am going to mirror what a lot of others are saying,” says an officer from the Pebble Hills Regional Command Center, “but we don’t want her here. What she did could have killed someone.”

“The City and Police have done what they always do,” says a civilian employee of the El Paso Police Department. “They won’t punish or fire the officers who really should be; they keep them.”

23 November 2024, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman—We thought the City of El Paso and the El Paso Police Department were committed to transparency. If we rely upon the words of Gomez, the PIO (Public Information Officer), we are led to believe that EPPD is in favor of transparency.

Gomez’s promise of transparency is nothing more than meaningless, empty words.

Julie Harris Inciriaga, a member of the command staff, discharged her firearm within the El Paso Police Department headquarters in Five Points. This reckless weapon handling would generally lead to an investigation and suspension. We wanted to share the punishment and training Inciriaga would face or has faced and submitted a Freedom of Information Request.

The response from the City of El Paso left us bewildered.

“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,” wrote Erica Gandara Public Records Coordinator City of the El Paso Office of the City Attorney.

When we first published about Inciriaga and her reckless discharge of a firearm, we received the following email from a source within the El Paso Office of the City Attorney:

“You’re going to have your answer tomorrow, but you won’t like it,” they wrote. “They are not going to give you anything becuause no one here, or at PD likes you or the work you are doing. You need to have anyone else but you send the FOIA over.”

I would have liked to believe that was not true. However, below is the answer we received.

We asked others to submit the same request about Inciriaga and her firearm discharging within a populated building. What did they receive?

“Please be advised that we have made a determination that the information you requested deals with an open investigation and the release of the remaining records would interfere with the detection, investigation, or prosecution. Therefore, some information is being released to you, and the remainder is being withheld subject to Section 552.108 of the Texas Government Code. Please see attached records.”

Here at Southwest News Today, we are discovering that we will need to adopt an adversarial posture with the City of El Paso and the El Paso Police Department when it comes to obtaining information and forcing transparency. To that end, retained counsel is preparing legal action to have FOIA requests answered.

The Chief of Police and the Public Information Officer have promised transparency between the people of El Paso and the Department. What we have is the illusion of openness, as demonstrated by our continued publication of articles concerning officers who were arrested and the public never having been informed.

Another case in point is that our request to the PIOs for disciplinary data on Inciriaga remains unanswered. The information below was obtained by another individual who requested it from the department.

We need to wake up and demand change. For far too long, the El Paso Police Department has become lax in its duties. Not all officers should be considered sour apples. Most are trying to do their job and honor their commitment to the community. However, too many should not be wearing a badge.

Detectives should not rely on citizens to do their jobs for them. Command Staff, such as the Chief, should not send emails extolling the virtues of being a police officer when he does not practice what he preaches. Hardworking officers in the streets should not have to worry if there will be enough officers to back them up if they need help (too many days where there are not enough officers on patrol should not be the norm). There needs to be change.

The people of El Paso need to demand change.

We shouldn’t rely on transparency from the Department; we should demand it.