El Paso County Sheriff's Office

Criminal Investigations Bureau
The Criminal Investigations Bureau is comprised of three different divisions ranging from criminal investigations to narcotics investigations.
Commander Jerome Washington

Commander Jerome Washington began his career with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in 2002, starting as a Detention Officer and later transitioning to a Deputy in the Law Enforcement Bureau. He has served in various roles, including Field Training Officer, Detective in the Major Crimes Unit, and FBI Task Force Officer. As a Lieutenant, he oversaw the Peter J. Herrera Patrol Station and the Crisis Intervention Team. He later became the Commander of the Planning, Accreditation, and Inspections Division and most recently led the Patrol Division, managing School Resource Programs, emergency response teams, and special investigations.
Courthouse Security
This section is lead by a Lieutenant, who oversees the following operations:

Courthouse Security
Fugitive Apprehension Unit
Criminal Investigations
This section is led by a Lieutenant, who oversees the following operations:

Major Crimes Unit
Crime Records
Evidence & Abandon Motor Vehicles
Crime Scene Unit
Crime Victim Services
Directed Investigations
This section is lead by a Lieutenant, who oversees the following operations:

Civil Process Unit
Civil Process and Executions Section
Sheriff's Sales
Background Investigation Unit
Sex Offender Registration & Tracking (SORT)
Special Investigations
This section is lead by a Lieutenant, who oversees the following operations:
Gang and Narcotics Unit (GNU)
HIDTA – Drug Enforcement Administration Initiative
HIDTA – Homeland Security Investigations Initiative
Overview:
The El Paso Texas Borderland region is uniquely located at the geographic center of the U.S. / Mexico Border between Brownsville, Texas and San Diego, California. This distinctive location makes El Paso an appealing smuggling route for Drug Trafficking Organizations and their contraband as it travels from the interior of Mexico, to large U.S. Cities to the north, east, and west. Consequently, El Paso is also a prime route for illicit southbound currency; the product of illegitimate drug enterprises destined for locations within Mexico. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Investigation Division/HIDTA initiatives were created in response to this criminal activity. The Division is a tight knit conglomerate of Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies pooling resources and working in unison towards the accomplishment of their mission.

Personnel assigned to the HIDTA initiatives work in tandem with Special Agents & Investigators from the Department of Homeland security investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigations, and other local law enforcement agencies. Investigators assigned to the HIDTA initiatives are designated as Task Force Officers and are granted the same authority as the Special Agents in the respective Federal Agency to which they are assigned.

Mission Statement:
The men and women of the HIDTA initiatives have committed to utilize all collective efforts & resources to investigate, arrest , dismantle and successfully prosecute all narcotics trafficking organizations and their affiliates involved in the manufacturing, transportation , distribution, selling and use of illegal drugs in or being transported through the West Texas/ El Paso area. Furthermore we will seize all illegal drugs, cash and other tangible assets associated with and supportive of the illicit drug trade.