It’s time for Pacillas to hold himself accountable. When you have two sets of rules, then your tenure as Chief of Police does not revolve around fairness and accountability. When you have two sets of rules, you are showing the citizens of El Paso that you don’t care about us.
14 April 2025, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – We have received several emails concerning El Paso Police Officer Gerardo Reyes, badge number 3676. One email in particular stood out.
I would like to know about the officer who was arrested for hitting someone in his family. I think his name is Reyes. Is he not a policeman now?
On 1 April 2025, Deputies with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested Officer Gerardo Reyes, Jr, in connection with multiple criminal charges, including two counts of assault causing bodily injury to a family member and one count of interfering with an emergency request for assistance.
In the United States, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This means the District Attorney has the burden of proving Reye’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and Reye is not required to prove his innocence.
What typically happens is that when an Officer is arrested, they are suspended, with pay. The Officer will sit at home and check in with Internal Affairs once or twice a day. That, however, is not the case.
Officer Gerardo Reyes is still reporting to work overnights at the Northeast Regional Command. Though Reyes is not responding to calls and is not supposed to interact with the public, he is still sitting in the station, doing whatever menial work comes his way.
Should a police officer who has been arrested and charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injury to a family member and one count of interfering with an emergency request for assistance be allowed to report for duty while the court case is still active?
— My Catholic Life (@sanelceario) April 14, 2025
On our X (formerly Twitter) poll, people overwhelming voted “no.”
In Texas, no law dictates what happens to Officers in pending criminal cases. The State of Texas has not yet decided to codify what should happen. Again, Reyes is innocent until proven guilty.
Law enforcement officers who are suspended pending a criminal case may or may not be allowed to work, depending on the specific circumstances of the crime and the Department’s policies. Some policies may allow for continued work, while others may prohibit it. Agency policies often consider the nature of the criminal charges, the potential for a conflict of interest, and the Officer’s ability to perform their duties without compromising the agency or integrity or the integrity of the legal process.
Public Information Officer Robert Gomez stated in the past, during an interview at KFOX, that the Department receives excessive negative attention. He believes the focus is disproportionate to the agency’s overall work and positive impact. There is a reason for that negative attention.
When an officer allegedly attacks a member of their family and then actively attempts to block 911 calls, we have a problem.
We understand that everyone working for EPPD is human and, as such, can fail in various ways, assault being just one of those ways. Whether or not the El Paso Police Department wants to admit it, some look up to the Department and the officers. The negative actions reflect poorly on them, the Department, and the City of El Paso.
Imagine a young, impressionable child who wants so badly to follow in the footsteps of an Officer. Let’s say this child idolizes someone like Reyes. Maybe the child has bet Reyes or has had multiple contacts with him. What will this child do or think once they learn of Reyes’ actions?
Then, you have people like former EPPD Officer Joshua Gallardo and his laundry list of charges: Assault/impeding breathing/circulation on 11 February 2024; Assaulting a family member on 15 August 2024; Terroristic threats/causing fear of serious bodily injury, 17 January 2025.
In another article, we shared a list that we received after filing a Freedom of Information request:
“…We are seeking the names and charges of every El Paso Police Officer who has been arrested, and/or charged with a crime within El Paso County for the last four (4) years.”
As a response, we received the following list. Please note that two (2) names have been redacted from the list as they are currently involved in pending litigation against the El Paso Police Department. Also note that though an individual officer may appear on this list, it does not indicate that their employment was terminated or that the Courts sentenced them:
Joshua Gallardo’s employment with the El Paso Police Department was terminated. Gerardo Reyes is still on the job, wearing a uniform and reporting for duty at the Northeast Regional Command.
What’s the difference between the two Officers? Why was one fired, but the other not? We may never know the answer to this one. What is clear, what is apparent, is that El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas has two sets of rules that he follows.
Pacillas told El Paso Media Matters that his leadership style revolves around fairness, accountability, and treating everyone like a human being. The article’s title is “New EPPD chief vows to be fair, hold officers accountable.”
It’s time for Pacillas to hold himself accountable. When you have two sets of rules, then your tenure as Chief of Police does not revolve around fairness and accountability. When you have two sets of rules, you are showing the citizens of El Paso that you don’t care about us.
I have interviewed Chief Greg Allen in the past. While Allen had his brand of running the Department, he told me he would always be “firm, fair, and consistent.” Maybe Pacillas, who served under Allen, should have been paying attention.
You can reach Chief Pacillas at [email protected]
You can reach Steven Zimmerman at [email protected]