Stinnett police officer relieved of duties

July 14, 2011

A Stinnett police officer has been relieved of his duties.
The city council members went into closed session during their regular meeting Monday evening to discuss the case of local citizen and police officer EC Garza and his employment. It was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon by a Stinnett city official that Mr. Garza was relieved from his duties as a police officer. There were no further comments as to why he was terminated.
On Monday evening, the citizens of Stinnett came together to address several concerns regarding the Stinnett Police Department.
Garza spoke at the Stinnett City Council’s regular meeting in the Stinnett City Hal1. Garza said, “There have been allegations that I’m not working, that I don’t do my job, that a lot of people complain and from what I’ve seen, a lot of people are complaining that I’m not out right now.”
Garza was almost injured while on duty and was put on administrative leave by his higher commanders. He also stated that there was no contact from his employers for a eight-month time period. When he returned, there was a new officer with no experience and was making more than he was.
“I addressed it with the chief of police at the time who said nothing was going to be done and left. Once that officer left, I was the only officer. I didn’t have any reason to complain. A new officer came in again with zero experience making more than the previous officer.
“That’s why I addressed it with the city manager. When they decided to put me on administrative leave, my fiancée decided to go proactive,” Garza said. “I love working here and I love what I do.”
Sonia Gonzales, who is EC Garza’s fiancée, said, “We have a petition with over 100 signatures. It’s just saying that the city doesn’t want him gone. The city wants him here. This is a really horrible time to get rid of a narcotics officer when, if you go to Borger and you go to Fritch, you can hear people saying, ‘Come to Stinnett, you can get away with anything.’ [It’s a] really horrible time to be getting rid of an officer, especially one with experience.”