Biography

Name: Robert Almonte

Age: 50

Occupation: Executive Director for Texas Narcotic Officers Association

Retired Deputy Chief, El Paso Police Department

Owner and Founder of Drug Interdiction training business

Website: www.AlmonteForSheriff.com

Residence: East Side

Relevant Experience:

 

I retired as a Deputy Chief after 25 years of service with the El Paso Police Department. I have a proven record of leadership, strategic/tactical planning, and operations management for a department that provides community policing for the 23^rd largest city in the United States.

I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Park University. Additionally, I have created and implemented several key law enforcement initiatives such as the Hotel/Motel Narcotics Interdiction Task Force and the West Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Stash House Task Force.

 

As an outspoken advocate of continuous process and program improvement, I’ve served on several Advisory Committees, the Mayor's Community Drug Task Force and as a law enforcement consultant for General Dynamics Corporation. I have also written two textbooks, “Evolution of Narcotics Investigations” and “Management of Covert Operations” currently used in college and university courses. I am also the owner and founder of a law enforcement training business specializing in drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. Currently, I am the Executive Director of Texas Narcotic Officers Association.

 

 

Issues

1.     What role would you direct the Sheriff's Department to take with immigration enforcement?

 

The role of the Sheriff's Office is to protect and serve the community, not to enforce federal immigration law. Anyone in El Paso County who is a victim of a crime should have enough trust and faith in the Sheriff's Office to feel comfortable reporting a crime regardless of their immigration status.

 

2.     What is your position on consolidation of police and sheriff? If you support it, what specific steps will you commit to?

 

I believe in smart consolidation - consolidating only the areas of the Police and Sheriffs Departments that are feasible and make fiscal sense. Any consolidation must be done in small increments to ensure we realize actual and measurable cost savings. First, immediate areas of consolidation are the Training Academies. In addition to saving taxpayer money, we could yield two benefits - greater camaraderie between officers and increased sharing of information and intelligence on criminal suspects and crime trends. Second, the communications sections of both departments should be consolidated, allowing officers to share radio systems, enhancing officer safety and improving response times.

 

3.     What is your position on privatizing prisons in general, and El Paso's in specific?

 

I am against any privatization efforts of our county jails. As Sheriff, I want to ensure that I maintain control over our jails as well as the employees and inmates of those jails. This is the only way the public can hold me accountable to perform the job I was elected to do.

 

4.     What is your position on the new state law that allows officers the discretion to write a ticket for possession of marijuana under 4 ounces? Should such discretion be exercised in El Paso?

 

I am completely against this. It sends the wrong message about drug use in our community, especially to our children. It diminishes the seriousness of the crime by treating it like a traffic citation. 4 ounces of marijuana can yield approximately 150 marijuana cigarettes/joints. There is no doubt that a person in possession of this amount of marijuana is a drug dealer and should face more than a ticket.

 

5.     Do you support citizen review committees? If so, what powers or authority do you support?

 

 I am in support of any efforts that promote increased accountability and transparency. However, any committee findings should remain recommendations and disciplinary actions should fall solely within the purview of the department and its policies and procedures.

 

6.     How would you balance using confiscated funds to bolster the budget and the potential to abuse confiscation to bolster the budget? What controls are or should be in place?

 

Using confiscated funds to supplement the department's budget is a guaranteed way to save taxpayers money. However, we must ensure these funds are always confiscated legally and without violating a persons civil rights. Technology is the best control - placing video cameras on marked units would allow for both audio and visual recordings of any encounter resulting in an accurate record of what transpired.

 

7.   What is the current relationship between the union and the command? What should the relationship be?

 

 Although unions and commands have different objectives, we share one main obligation - to serve and protect the citizens of El Paso County. Therefore, it is crucial that the lines of communication remain open. I support employee rights while working within department policy and procedure.

 

8.     What do you believe is the biggest issue facing the department?

 

The biggest issue facing the department is not losing the momentum that was established under Sheriff Samaniego's leadership. As Sheriff, I want to follow in Sheriff Samaniego's footsteps, to continue his tradition of excellence, his tradition of integrity and tradition of moving forward.