[This article was edited to correct spelling and syntax]

“He’s like a little kid that just got all he wanted for Christmas,” says an officer out of the Northeast Regional Command Center of Frank Rodreguez. “Nothing happens to him.”

7 May 2024, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Marcellus speaks this line in Act I, scene iv (67), as he and Horatio debate whether or not to follow Hamlet and the ghost into the dark night. The line refers both to the idea that the ghost is an ominous omen for Denmark and to the more prominent theme of the connection between a ruler’s moral legitimacy and the state’s health. The ghost is a visible symptom of the rottenness of Denmark created by Claudius’s crime.

In the case of the El Paso Police Department, something is rotten in the alleged acts of Lt. Frank Rodreguez and Sgt. John Chavez. 

SGT. JOHN CHAVEZ

Sgt. John Chavez, a shining example of the Department’s failure at total transparency, picked up two DWIs in short order. Both are pending trial; the final plea hearing deadline is 14 May 2024. 

The El Paso Police Department claims to be embracing a new era of transparency, where the Police will inform the public of what occurs within the Department and on the streets. In the case of John Chavez, that hasn’t happened.

Other than the DWIs, Chavez is alleged to have been harassing another officer, which warranted his move to the Northeast Regional Command Center, where he now rides a desk.

Why does the El Police Department continually allow officers such as Sgt. Chavez to remain on the force? We understand he is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but one must still draw a line somewhere.

LT. FRANK RODRIGUEZ

“The LT should not have a badge pinned on his chest,” says another officer with the El Paso Police Department. “He seems like the kid who was a bully in school and decided to be a police officer so he could bully others.”

Rodreguez is the king of overtime and is violating department police to get that overtime.

“Rodreguez gobbles it up,” says an officer of Franks overtime. “How does he get overtime every single day?”

More than a few officers have told us that lieutenants should not receive overtime as they typically earn over $110k annually. This is why Rodreguez was slow to respond to a shooting call in October 2022.

What’s odd about the above video is that when we sent out a FOIA last year, we were told there was no such video. Great look for the Department.

But why does Frank need all that overtime? Why is he so willing to ignore department policy on how many hours he can work? The answer is simple: he lives beyond his means and needs that money to keep his home.

According to Zillow, the total assessed value of the house Rodreguez lives in is $481,000. 

• 4bed
• 3bath
• 2,329sqft2,329 square feet
• 6,098sqft lot

Read that again: an officer with the El Paso Police Department, which makes about $100k a year, lives in a house valued at almost half a million dollars. 

What else is Rodreguez up to?

When you look at someone like Rodreguez, there is a saying: “Follow the money.” We’re following.

The El Paso Police Department needs to do the same and follow the money. They also need to listen to their officers who take issue with Rodreguez and how he acts.

“He will run around here like he owns the place,” says another officer of Rodriguez. “Like yesterday, he thinks he owns the place, and the chain of command just doesn’t care.”

Don’t worry, Rodriguez; we’re still here, and so is your anti-fan club within the walls of the Northeast Regional Command Center. Enjoy searching the work areas of your fellow officers, and enjoy this ride while you can. 

“There are a lot of us here,” says another officer with the El Paso Police Deaprtment, “who can’t stand the guy. He always brags about his money, how much he has, what he’s getting. He needs to go, but for some reason someone is protecting him and that doesn’t sit right with any of us.”