2021 Annual Report - El Paso Police Department

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El Paso Police Department

Throughout our lives we interact with many individuals and leave impressions as we go. Charles “Chuck” Harmon III left many during his life. As a young man, Chuck faced many obstacles head on and took on the challenges. Chuck took every opportunity to improve and educate himself, and he grew in that knowledge. This work ethic helped him join the El Paso Police Department, where he started a career that he loved. Chuck was with the El Paso Police Department for over 20 years. His journey began on September 1, 2000, and his first assignment was at Northeast Regional Command Patrol. Over the next few years, he would continue to wear many hats, such as Northeast Traffic Officer and Special Traffic Investigator. On August 23rd, 2015, Chuck promoted to detective and was assigned to the Financial Crimes Division as a white collar detective. He later moved into the Digital Forensics Unit. While wearing these various hats, Chuck accomplished many remarkable things, which are too numerous to list. Some of the certifications and trainings he was most proud of were during his time in Special Traffic Investigations (STI) and Digital Forensics. Chuck’s work as a Traffic Accident Reconstruction Officer in STI involved several timely cases. It was shared that during his stint with STI, one of his most memorable times was on his birthday back on December 21, 2012, when he was called out to three incidents in the same day. As a Digital Forensics Investigator, he attained many certifications, several of them in the three major forensics software companies. He was a Task Force Officer with the Secret Service and had extensive training with the National Computer Forensics Institution. Despite the accomplishments listed above, Chuck vocalized these were not his greatest achievements; his family was. Chuck often commented that all he did was for his family. This was apparent by all the personal images he carried with him and had in his office. Chuck held many photos and videos of his family outings and vacations, which he loved to share. He spoke of his times camping, barbecuing, mountain biking, and the many conversations he had with his children. If his children only knew of the stories he shared they may feel embarrassed, but it showed how much they meant to him. Chuck was a great father, husband, friend, and colleague. He will be truly missed. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.

On behalf of the El Paso Police Department, we would like to take a moment to honor and remember Detective Camerino Santiago, who tragically passed away from complications of COVID-19 on January 11, 2021. Det. Santiago was the first El Paso Police Department officer to succumb to COVID-19 in the line of duty. Det. Santiago was a 23 year veteran of the Department who proudly and courageously served our community. Det. Santiago was sworn into service as a Texas Peace Officer on May 23, 1997. He served as a patrol officer in Pebble Hills, the City’s largest regional command, for 13 years. He was then assigned as an investigator in the Fusion Intelligence Center, where he was later promoted to the rank of detective in 2012. His final assignment was at the Internal Affairs Division. His family and friends knew Det. Santiago by the endearing name of “Cami”. Det. Santiago had a great and significant impact on the lives of his fellow officers. Det. Santiago’s honesty, loyalty, and kindness earned him the respect of those who knew him, as he was ultimately revered as a father figure within the ranks. Det. Santiago’s colleagues and supervisors describe his character as the epitome of a true gentlemen. If you truly knew Det. Santiago it was apparent that his family was the most important thing in his life. Det. Santiago is survived by his courageous wife Jessica Santiago, two beautiful daughters, son in laws, and grandchildren. Det. Santiago has forever left his footprint within the City and an impact on the Department, his family, and friends. Detective Santiago will be forever missed and absolutely never forgotten. Rest easy, hero.

DETECTIVE CAMERINO SANTIAGO

OFFICER CHARLES HARMON

Commissioned: May 23, 1997 End of Watch: January 11, 2021

Commissioned: September 9, 2000 End of Watch: January 11, 2021

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2021 Annual Report

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