Activists protest lack of transparency in El Paso police chief selection process

El Paso Times
Adam Powell, El Paso Times
September 17, 2023

A room full of El Pasoans spent a couple of hours learning about the four finalists seeking to become the next El Paso police chief.

During last week's meet-and-greet, residents were introduced to the slate of four finalists, all men, three of whom have deep connections to the El Paso Police Department. The lone outsider is looking to make a return to policing after years of running another Texas city.

As the event began, residents milled around, having conversations or enjoying snacks before the finalists were called in to make comments. Afterward, each took time to meet with residents and answer questions about their priorities as chief of a police force that has managed to make El Paso one of the safest cities in the U.S.

City Hall has moved deliberately since Allen's sudden death in January to hire a new chief, a move that gives the city an opportunity to change how policing is done in a binational community that's over 80% Hispanic.

Allen, who led the department for 16 years, was viewed as an officer's chief and rarely held news conferences to keep the community updated on recent crimes or trends within the department. Since his death, there have been multiple issues within the department, including arrests for sexual harassment, DWI and misconduct related to preventing an officer's arrest.

The crisis in officer conduct was even mentioned by one of the finalists before the packed house at the El Paso Museum of Art.

For Mayor Oscar Leeser, any of the four finalists is qualified for the police department's top spot.

"The people that will be making the decision cannot screw up," Leeser said before the finalists stepped up to the podium. "Any one of them could do a great job. I'm really excited (about) the quality of people that would want to be chief of the El Paso Police Department."

"I'm really glad to see that one of these four guys I'll have the ability and the opportunity to work with," he added later, "and continue to make sure that when we go to bed at night you, our community, is safe, when we go out on the streets, we're safe, and we continue to have the best police force, not just in Texas but in the United States."

From left, Steve Dye, Peter Pacillas, David Ransom and Victor Zazur are the four El Paso police chief finalist at a meet and greet for the El Paso Community on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at the El Paso Museum of Art.
GABY VELAQUEZ/EL PASO TIMES

Local reporters, however, were instructed by city Strategic Communications Director Laura Cruz-Acosta that interviews with the finalists would not be allowed as the event was "more for the community."

The meet-and-greet started with the finalists providing a two-minute breakdown of their experience and how they would lead the force in El Paso. Afterward, each finalist stood around a table bearing a sign with his name and photo to shake hands and answer questions.

Despite the apparent closed-door policy, each finalist discussed the importance of transparency and community engagement.

That lack of transparency was not lost on activists with the Border Network for Human Rights, who staged a protest outside of the museum as the event was unfolding, blasting the lack of community involvement in the selection process.

Border Network for Human Rights holds a protest outside of the El Paso Museum of Art, where a meet and greet with the El Paso police chief finalist is held for the El Paso community on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023.
GABY VELAQUEZ/EL PASO TIMES

"The reason we're not inside is because we disagree with the process that is happening inside," BNHR Executive Director Fernando Garcia said as protesters marched around him. "It lacks transparency and accountability — it's not something we were expecting out of this important of a decision, so we are expressing our opinion ... that this process is not complete and it's not going to work."

Interim City Manager Cary Westin lays out selection process

After brief remarks from Leeser, Interim City Manager Cary Westin, who will make the final decision on the city's next police chief, provided those in attendance with a breakdown of the selection process, which kicked off earlier this year when Strategic Government Resources was brought on to head up the search.

Officials have not yet set a date for a final decision.

Before the process began, Westin said, the city invited "a large cross-section of (the) community to give ... feedback on the key characteristics and attributes that this community is looking for in the next police chief."

"We had the opportunity to have over 20 stakeholder meetings, meet with over 30 agencies, we had an online survey and had over 780 respondents," he continued. "So, we got significant information back from this community and really, what your feedback did, is it really set the course for us because we did that before we engaged with SGR, our public safety search firm, to go and look for candidates."

Among those key characteristics was a chief who appreciates El Paso's culture and is passionate about proactively engaging with the community; a collaborative leader able to work cohesively with partners at all levels; an authentic and approachable servant leader; and someone with great communication skills and a high level of integrity.

"This has been a long process and an important process, but I am very confident to say that every one of these gentlemen that is standing up here embody all of those characteristics," Westin added. "Every one of them."

Steve Dye — committed to 'community policing philosophies'

Steve Dye, who spent 35 years in policing and currently serves as city manager for Grand Prairie, Texas, was the first to address the audience.

Before making the move to Grand Prairie, Dye served with the Houston Police Department in a variety of roles before being named chief, a post he held for 10 years.

"I was asked to go to City Hall in Grand Prairie to be a deputy city manager and later city manager, and I gladly served," Dye said, "but it's time to return to my passion of policing."

When serving as El Paso police chief, Dye expressed a commitment to a "highly ethical organization" with a "culture of self-discipline" and a transparent organization accountable to the community.

"I'm very committed to high levels of community engagement through community policing philosophies supported by numerous programs," Dye said. "That's a pathway to build trust and legitimacy and that's where crime problems become community responsibilities and we develop together long-term solutions for long-standing problems."

Peter Pacillas — seeking 'open communication'

Current Interim El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas, who has led the department since Allen's death in January, touted his work to establish a program for emotional communication and intelligence within the department to better prepare officers for interacting with the public.

"My primary goal as police chief is to ensure that our community relations (are) strong and that we can have a dialogue no matter how hard it is," Pacillas said. "We have to have that open communication so that we can speak clearly and understand each other's issues."

Pacillas, likewise, expressed a commitment to transparency and accountability, saying none of the city's officers are above the law, despite earlier this year dodging questions related to the arrest of two EPPD supervisors for sexual harassment.

David Ransom — building on EPPD's 'favorability rating'

David Ransom, an El Paso native who spent 21 years with the EPPD and is currently leading the police force at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, largely focused on his love for the city more than his experience or ambitions for the department.

Ransom left El Paso when his wife took a job in Boston in 2013 but is excited about the possibility of returning to his hometown.

"The pandemic hit and now she's able to work from home so ... this opportunity presented itself and it's an opportunity for us to come to El Paso, where we belong, and try to finish off what I started in 1992," Ransom said.

He noted that the EPPD currently has an 89% favorability rating among the community and vowed to continue that trend.

Victor Zarur — 'day-to-day conversations' a must

Victor Zarur, an El Paso native who has served with the EPPD since 1995 after serving with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, also stressed the importance of community engagement and transparency.

Zarur touted his experience with the department, which has seen him rise through the ranks to detective, sergeant, lieutenant, region commander and assistant chief. Earlier this year, he was named interim executive assistant chief.

"I found the biggest thing as officers in the community (are those) day-to-day conversations," Zarur said, "that we're serving you and meeting your needs."

Protestors decry lack of community involvement in police chief selection process

As the four finalists shook hands and made small talk inside the museum, protestors marched outside carrying signs emblazoned with the words "Our Voice Matters" and "Silence In The Face Of Injustice Is Complicity With The Oppressor."

Other signs read, "Say His Name — Daniel Diaz," referring to a 40-year-old man who died after being shocked with a Taser while being arrested by EPPD officers in 2021. The city refused to provide Diaz's family with records related to the arrest until a state judge forced its hand earlier this year.

For Garcia, however, the lack of transparency is the key issue he and other activists have with the chief selection process.

"I was part of the previous round when (Chief) Greg Allen was hired, I was part of a committee where several stakeholders were brought together by the city," Garcia said. "We interviewed several candidates and we actually made recommendations on the issues and on the character of the candidates. Nothing like that has happened today, they're just showing up with a list of four candidates ... I think that is wrong, I think this is a dog-and-pony show."

Referring to the vast number of community meetings referenced by Westin, Garcia said he and BNHR were only consulted once about what should be considered in the search.

"This was not about really debating the candidates, really presenting the candidates, interviewing the candidates, nothing," he said. "This was in the very beginning of the process. We told them at that time, 'We expect that this is not going to be the only one, the only time we're going to meet with you.'"

"We never heard anything back," he added.

Garcia said his organization and other activist groups throughout the community believe the selection process could have been a "good opportunity to start really addressing the many issues happening in the police department that are well known."

"This is a larger issue than just choosing a chief," he said.