EL PASO, Texas (Steven Zimmerman, The Jerusalem Press)—The El Paso Police Department arrested Ron Martin, the former president of the El Paso Municipal Police Officers’ Association, on a misapplication of fiduciary property charge on January 5, 2023.

The charges Sgt. Ron Martin faced a problem with misusing union money, equal to $2,500 but less than $30,000.

What happened to the charges against Martin? They have been dropped. Sgt. Martin has agreed to repay the monies taken in exchange for the charges being dropped.

We received an email shortly after we began writing about the problems within the El Paso Police Department and their lack of transparency and accountability.

“Sergeant Martin, the former union president, you should know, his charges were dropped, and he went right back to work,” reads the email. “He [Martin] said he’ll pay it all back. That is admitting guilt right there. Innocent people don’t give back money they didn’t take.”

We’ve spoken to several officers within the El Paso Police Department on the condition of anonymity, as the department does target officers who speak out against EPPD.

“I’ve read your article about the Brady list and the fact that the department is not in compliance,” said an EPPD detective. “If that list were available, Ron [Martian] would be on it.”

The Brady List is a watch list used by prosecutors to track police officers engaged in or accused of misconduct.

“How can I trust someone I work with who used union money like it’s their own account,” says another officer. “It’s like he used that money to make himself look better.”

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If you or I decided to steal money from the union representing us, would we still have a job at the end of the day? No. So why does Martin still patrol the streets of El Paso?

When I see cases, such as those of Ron Martin and Jessica Grijalva, in which charges are dropped, I question the integrity of the El Paso Police Department. I understand that defense and prosecuting attorneys enter deals all the time. What I question is the officer’s continued employment.

When an officer commits a crime, even if they reach a deal for repayment or take a pretrial diversion program for DWIs, their integrity and honesty are called into question. These are criminal acts.

By allowing such officers to remain with the department, the El Paso Police Department is making it harder for good officers to do their job. These bad apples are tainting the whole department.

“I can recall someone on a shoplifting call at Walmart asking me why I’m taken [sic] in if we have officers who steal,” says an EPPD patrol officer.

Martin was arrested, which is a good thing. Internal Affairs and the detectives did their job. Where they failed is allowing him to come back to work and wear that badge. An officer’s job is to serve and protect, not steal from fellow officers.

Sgt. Martin’s case was dismissed. Further prosecution wasn’t sought after the agreement to repay the monies. Guilt is implied.

The Public Information Office, an officer that likes to mention their commitment to transparency, failed to inform the public that the case against Martin was dismissed after agreeing to repay monies allegedly taken and back on the streets once again.

This is another collection of failures from a department with difficulty policing itself.