26 March 2025, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – On 25 January 2025, I wrote an article entitled Police Quota On Citations (click the article title to read that piece), in which I discussed an email from 24 January 2025. Sgt. sent the email. That article and the email caused us to receive many messages from readers, like the one below.
“So they have this money, and we still can’t get a cop to come out where we live for the people who blow right through the school zone, or in our neighborhood,” says David White, a resident of Northeast El Paso. “What’s the point if all they are going to do nothing but hit a number of tickets, and then leave. Or, just do nothing when we call them? It took days of calling before even one cop showed up and didn’t seem to care.”
We understand the outrage that many of our readers feel. It’s hard not to. The El Paso Police Department is understaffed, and when they offer overtime for something such as traffic enforcement, they seemingly add quotas or fail to target priority areas.
Another message we received is from Diane Millings, a short-term El Paso resident.
“I find it asinine that you would write about quotas, and I believe there are quotas, and not mention how bad enforcement of traffic laws are,” says Diane Millings. “I remember when the last Chief said they would start cracking down on the abuse of paper license plates and the number of fraudulent ones in use. That never happened. Maybe they should start enforcing laws and not look for ways to leach off of us under the guise of overtime and useless grants.”
Sgt. Michael A. Garcia’s original email to officers of the El Paso Police Department reads:
In the email, Sgt. Garcia talks about the STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program) grant and how officers can participate in this program to earn extra money.
The STEP grant is a funding source provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to state and local law enforcement agencies. It allows them to implement targeted traffic enforcement campaigns focused on specific high-risk traffic violations like speeding, impaired driving, and not wearing seatbelts, often combined with public education and outreach efforts to improve road safety.
While the email did not detail the number of tickets one must write while working the STEP grant, it does specify how many stops an officer must make during their overtime shift.
4-hour shift: 10 stops
5-hour shift: 13 stops
6-hour shift: 15 stops
“There was talk here, on the Westside, about the tickets we needed to write,” says an El Paso Police Officer who works traffic. “We had to write tickets, even if it wasn’t exactly said in writing, we had to write tickets.”
On 25 March 2025, Sgt. Michael A Garcia, badge #1375, sent a new email to officers within the El Paso Police Department. That email is below.
I will work around your schedule, reply with the times and dates you want to work for the month of April and answer the questions at the bottom of this email.
Officers will be allowed to work either a 4,5,6 or 8 hour shift on a regular work day If on an RDO you could work up to a 10 hour shift.
Evening and Night shifts are also available.
You will be assigned a zone for enforcement in your respective region.
The 2025 Selective Traffic Enforcement Comprehensive Grant will consist of five Program Elements. When performing enforcement activities under this grant, officers should make the enforcement of the STEP Elements listed below their top priority; although they can conduct enforcement of any traffic, safety related laws to reduce crashes, fatalities and injuries.
1. DWI Driving while Intoxicated
2. Speed: Special Enforcement
3. OP: Occupant Protection Safety belt Child Safety seat
4. ITC: Intersection Traffic Control
5. DD. Distracted Driving
TXDOT STEP FY-2025 Comprehensive Grant operations which will run from October 1 2024 through September 30 2025 on an overtime basis. In order to request this assignment, interested Officers must have successfully completed the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Training. Enter the dates you would like to work in the section below.
Interested officers must be able to provide a marked unit. Officers will be in uniform, and must be able to work the full 4/6 hour shift.
Officers must be off probation. Sergeants may be on probation.
The shift is 4/6 hours and only Officers / Sergeants who can work the full 4/6 hours will be selected. If selected and scheduled, you may not cancel and will be subject to all EPPD rules and regulations.
A shift meeting will be held at HQ traffic office at the start of the shift. Or you can deploy from a Region. Officers who work the assignment must arrive on time for shift meeting with all necessary equipment for traffic enforcement during the operation. This operation will be focusing on TXDOT STEP Comprehensive elements. Officers deploying from a region will check in with a supervisor and have them sign off on the first activity line. Officers who check out at a region will check out with a supervisor and have them sign off on the Supervisor signature box. Officers will scan all paperwork (log sheet, Citations, Warnings, arrest card) to me, then send all originals to the traffic office (Sgt. Garcia) at HQ via Dept. mail.
The goal is to reduce the number of crashes involving serious injuries or fatalities, driving under the influence, increase occupant restraint in passenger vehicles, and reduce distracted driving motor vehicle crashes.
3-103 QUOTAS PROHIBITED. The EPPD strictly prohibits the use of quotas per Texas Transportation Code Section 720.002. Violations of this policy are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination. (added 10-31-12 C12-28)
No employee of the police department can work this grant while taking annual leave, vacation, holiday leave, compensatory leave or any other paid leave. You must be on your regular time off to work this Operation.
Interested officers should email Sgt. Michael A Garcia #1375 with the following information. Failure to comply will result in you not being considered.
Name, ID #
Work Schedule
Contact number
Dates and times you would like to work in April, 2025
1. Do you have access to a marked unit (YES or NO)?
2. Can you work the entire 4/6 hour shift (YES or NO)?
3. Have you successfully completed the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Training (YES or NO)?
Respectfully,
Sgt. Michael A Garcia #1375
TXDOT/STEP/CVSA
The new email now acknowledges that quotas are prohibited. Garcia included the following language: 3-103 QUOTAS PROHIBITED. The EPPD strictly prohibits the use of quotas per Texas Transportation Code Section 720.002. Violations of this policy are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination. (added 10-31-12 C12-28).
“Now he says there are no quotas,” says an El Paso Eastside traffic officer. That sure wasn’t the impression from before. We had to write those tickets.”
“We were expected to issue citations before this,” said the Westside Regional Command Center officer, who provided us with information about the email. The grant funds the overtime, and the City of El Paso pays for the citations we were expected to write. The last article had them rethink what they said. They know they are being watched now and that they have some outside accountability.”
El Paso has areas with bad traffic, and enforcement is needed. An example area would be near Ysleta High School when students go home for the day.
“You go to Ysleta, you go to the McDonalds,” says Betrice Guzman, a Lower Valley resident, “and you have the problems of people that block the streets or the way in and out of the places around the school. I never see the cops there doing anything. They will never come here.”
or in areas of North Mesa, where speeding and jaywalking pose risks to pedestrians and drivers alike.
“Just drive up Mesa, near Coronado High, at lunchtime or after school, and it is bad,” says Michael Roski, a Westside resident. “Speeding kids, or kids just walking in front of cars, why can’t the police do something here? Why can’t they use that STEP grant here?”
Beatrice, Michael, and others who have written to us have a point. Some areas of town need traffic enforcement, and the El Paso Police Department is neglecting them. If you live in El Paso, Texas, email Sgt. Michael A Garcia or Chief Peter Pacillas, and let them know where you would like to see enforcement activities. Their emails are below.
Sgt. Michael A Garcia [email protected]
Chief Peter Pacillas [email protected]
You can also reach me at [email protected]