El Paso police chief finalists named, final interviews in two weeks
Editor's Note: ABC-7 also confirmed the final four candidates with El Paso City Representative Henry Rivera.
by Ramon Bracamontes, El Paso Matters
August 25, 2023
The search for El Paso’s next police chief has been whittled down to four candidates, including interim Chief Peter Pacillas, according to an email sent by a deputy city manager to the mayor and City Council on Thursday.
The final round of interviews will be Sept. 13 and 14, according to the email obtained by El Paso Matters. A public meet-and-greet with the four finalists will be Sept. 13. The finalists are:
Pacillas has been with the El Paso Police Department since 1985 and was an assistant chief from 2009 to 2023. Some of his other roles in the department include interim commander of the auto theft unit, fusion, intelligence unit and narcotics. He was the first sergeant selected for the newly formed Homeland Security Unit in 2004. Pacillas has a bachelor's in organizational leadership from Mountain State University in Beckley, West Virginia.
Steve Dye, who recently retired as the Grand Prairie city manager. He also served as that city’s police chief from 2011 to 2020, and as a deputy city manager. Dye spent 29 years in law enforcement, including stints in Houston, Arlington and Garland, Texas. He has a master's in criminal justice from Tarleton State University and a bachelor's in law enforcement and police science from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, according to the city’s announcement.
David Ransom is a former El Paso Police officer and currently teaches criminal justice courses at Bay State College in Boston and serves as chief of police at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. A native El Pasoan, Ransom started his public safety career with EPPD in 1992, serving in patrol, gang enforcement and SWAT. As a lieutenant, he served for the El Paso International Airport police operations as special operations commander and planning, research and special projects. After more than 20 years working in El Paso, Ransom took the post as assistant director of public safety at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. He has a Ph.D. in global leadership from Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a master's in strategic leadership from Mountain State University in Beckley, West Virginia, and a bachelor's in sociology from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Victor Zazur currently serves as interim executive assistant chief of the operations in the Office of Performance and Development with the El Paso Police Department. Zazur spent his first five years in law enforcement with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office before joining EPPD in 1995. Before assuming his current position, he served as assistant chief, region commander, lieutenant, sergeant and detective, starting in patrol. Zazur is an adjunct professor at El Paso Community College, where he began his education in policing. Zazur teaches both theory and practice of criminal justice. Zazur earned a master's in criminal justice from Sul Ross University in Alpine, Texas, and a bachelor's in criminal justice administration/law enforcement from Park University at Fort Bliss.
The search for a new police chief comes after former El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen, who had led the department for almost 15 years, died in January. Former City Manager Tommy Gonzalez appointed Pacillas, who served as an assistant chief under Allen since 2009, as interim police chief in February.
The city started the search for a new police chief in May after hiring the national recruitment firm SGR – Strategic Government Resources. The firm has been meeting with council members, community leaders and law enforcement associations. SGR also developed a survey to gather community input on what characteristics the new chief should have.
It was not immediately clear how many people filled out the survey.
This article first appeared on El Paso Matters and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
