A former Eagle Grove police officer’s termination made national news this week, after a ruling that found the former officer committed job-related misconduct. But the state-wide and national headlines don’t tell even half the story.
The son of a veteran police Sergeant, Walter Pacheco attended an American high school in his native Puerto Rico, which is a United States territory, and then got his bachelor’s degree in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Law & Society. Then, in September 2017, following the devastating Hurricane Maria, Pacheco came to Iowa and worked in private security, and attended the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.
When he was hired for his first police job in Carroll, Iowa in August of 2020, his career was off to a notable start, as the first non-white officer in Carroll’s history. “I see there’s a lot of kids in Carroll and I want to be a good role model for them. I want to guide them when they grow up because I know that we all make mistakes, but we can minimize that,” Pacheco told Carroll’s KCIM radio at the time. “But the important thing is to hold accountability and responsibility towards the actions, and just strive to improve and progress as a human being each day,” Pacheco had concluded.
But just four months after his hiring, under allegations of “inappropriate interactions” with a minor and an acquaintance of the minor, and also looming accusations by the hispanic community of abusive behavior by Pacheco, who speaks Spanish fluently, as well as an accusation that Pacheco had threatened to kill an ex-girlfriend and her child in 2018, Pacheco was let go by Carroll’s police force.
He was next hired by Eagle Grove. “Officer Pacheco’s hiring process involved a committee which interviewed multiple candidates and then recommended Officer Pacheco’s hiring because of his interview performance,” Eagle Grove Police Chief Ray Beltran told the Carroll Times Herald in August of 2021, “which revealed to the committee that Officer Pacheco deserved another opportunity to serve the public and gain the experience and training he needs to progress as a young law enforcement officer.”
Pacheco’s second chance didn’t last long. Just weeks later, Pacheco was fired by Eagle Grove last summer following an incident where Pacheco repeatedly shut off his body camera during a crowd control assignment at a local bar, and a problematic comment by Pacheco about shooting the bar patrons.
Pacheco was on the scene for between two and three hours, as a crowd of as many as 200 people gathered. Some in the crowd were intoxicated, and the crowd had begun to get out of control. Some of the comments made by people in the crowd were reportedly interpreted by Pacheco as death threats. Pacheco made arrests during the incident, during which he repeatedly turned off his body camera. But his body camera was on when he later remarked to a local firefighter that he could have simply shot the people he’d arrested instead.
Pacheco claimed that his remarks were a joke, and that he only turned off the camera during “dead time” that wasn’t worth recording. But following a review of the footage by the police department, Pacheco was fired for violating department policy that body cameras be on during interactions with the public, and for the comment made about shooting people instead of arresting them.
“After reviewing our policy, it was agreed upon to separate officer Pacheco from the force,” Eagle Grove Mayor Sandy McGrath told the Eagle when reached for comment on Monday.
“We exactly followed the policy,” Chief of Police Beltran told the Eagle Monday night, “that’s what the policy is there for.”
Administrative Law Judge Daniel Zeno seemed to agree, when he ruled against Pacheco’s claim for Unemployment Benefits from the city. “Mr. Pacheco’s argument that he turned off his body camera only during ‘dead time’ and turned it back on when he interacted with the public is undercut by him keeping his body camera on while he spoke with the firefighter,” Judge Zeno said in his ruling, which found that Pacheco had engaged in misconduct.
“The city of Eagle Grove is grateful for every application it receives from individuals willing to serve a rural community of approximately 3,500 people that may lack some of the amenities and attractions found in communities three times its size,” Chief Beltran wrote to the Times Herald back in 2021. “In each instance, the city of Eagle Grove seeks to identify through the application and interview process the most capable and qualified applicant to serve.”
The Eagle Grove police department is currently hiring for police officers, and recent salary negotiations mean the department can offer more competitive wages. And while the Pacheco case may indicate that Eagle Grove may be willing to give people a second chance, it would also seem to indicate that in Eagle Grove, it’s still three strikes, and you’re out.
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