Police association files another grievance over working Chihuahuas games

If you’ve ever been Downtown to see the El Paso Chihuahuas play, then you’ve probably noticed all the El Paso Police officers working inside and outside the park.

They’re there to ensure you and your family make it back to the car alright. But some of the officers don’t want to be there and the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association just filed another complaint.

Officers who work inside the ballpark are paid by the Chihuahuas franchise. But it’s the officers who work outside the park, and on the city payroll, who are not happy about working the games.

“It is really affecting us,” said Ron Martin, president of the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association.

Martin said officers required to work outside the ballpark at Chihuahuas games are stressing an already-depleted force.

“When you’re 200, 300, 400 officers short, if you had that staffing it wouldn’t be an issue, but right now we’re on the bubble and we have been for years,” Martin added, pointing out the department has just more than a thousand officers, a 15-year low. “You’re going to have response times go up, you’re going to have revenue from tickets go down. You’re going to have a bunch of issues pile up.”

“The contract states that the City of El Paso is required to do protection outside the facility to proper magnitude,” El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said during a City Council meeting this week. “Whatever that (staffing) may be.”

At the start of last year’s inaugural season that number was 27 officers, but that has been cut nearly in half this year.

“As with anything new, the first season was a learning experience,” said Nancy Bartlett, chief performance officer for the City of El Paso. “We’ve now determined for most games 14 officers assigned to traffic control is sufficient.”

Chief Greg Allen told City Council this week: “We’ve found some locations that could be managed more efficiently with traffic control devices.”

Allen reported the estimated cost to the police department was $11,000 dollars a game last year. He said that’s dropped to $5,000 a game this year.

The city doesn’t actually pay that extra cost or overtime. It moves officers already on duty from other parts of town.

“We understand the financial restraints the City is in,” Martin said. “But we also have to realize we have other obligations to the citizens. It’s not just about the ballgame.”

Since the contract states traffic control is the responsibility of Police, Martin says the City needs to figure out how to generate enough revenue to pay officers overtime. Martin added, in an ideal world, the Chihuahuas franchise would pay for officers to work inside and outside the ballpark.