Commissioners Eliminate Vacant Sheriff’s Commander Position, Plan to Hire Attorney to Oversee Internal Affairs

In a 4-to-1 vote, County Commissioners Court signed off on the hiring of a senior trial attorney to oversee the internal affairs department of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

“We could possibly prevent future liability going forward,” said County Judge Veronica Escobar, who voted in favor of the hiring.

Commissioner Vince Perez, the lone vote against the hiring, said the request could have been better vetted during the budget process.

According to Perez, Monday’s decision by the court eliminated a vacant sheriff’s office commander position which pays $158,000 a year.

The move will allow the sheriff’s office to hire a senior trial attorney to oversee its internal affairs department.

The attorney’s salary would be $145,000 a year, according to Perez, who added the position would get more than $9,000 for operating costs. The swap would only save the county a few thousand dollars.

Perez told ABC-7 a county attorney has already been assigned to the sheriff’s office and believes resources should instead be allocated to the public defender’s office, which is experiencing a spike in cases.

“We can allocate resources, but we can’t take them back. We can add money, but we can’t take it away,” said Perez, “If a position isn’t needed, and the department doesn’t need them, then we shouldn’t create new positions in that department. We have to balance those needs with the needs of other departments.”

Escobar disagrees. “Someone needs to be a supervisor, whether it’s a commander or a county attorney,” she told ABC-7 after Monday’s meeting, “If the sheriff sees the value of a legal supervisor, I can support that.”

According to Escobar, “legal issues have arisen before and we had to take some kind of action.”