Socorro City Council members have named a special investigator to look into allegations of misconduct by the city’s suspended police chief.
Chief Jaime Avalos, who is on paid administrative leave, is being investigated for possible violations of purchasing policies and regulations, for possible violations of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards Regulations, for possible violations of the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act and for possible human resources and personnel violations.
Avalos will also be investigated for possible mishandling of employee harassment and discrimination complaints, city officials said.
On Thursday night, council members named former FBI agent Gary Webb as the special investigator. He was hired to look into all of the allegations against Avalos.
However, a contract between Webb and Socorro officials had yet to be finalized on Friday.
Socorro spokesman Dave Garcia said Webb is a 28-year veteran of the FBI who now owns a Las Cruces-based private investigation firm, Gary Webb Investigations, which primarily provides background checks for the federal government.
Webb retired from the FBI in 1998.
Garcia said the contract will be valid for up to 90 days, but Webb expects to have a report ready in 30 to 60 days. Webb is expected to be paid $75 an hour.
Avalos was hired on March 2, 2006, as a police captain. He was promoted to chief in 2009.
In September 2010, he went on administrative leave. At the same time, the city raised his annual salary from $57,200 to $67,787
Interim City Manager Manny Soto has said Avalos initially left the department under medical leave in September 2010. About a month later, Avalos returned to work, but he was then placed on administrative leave.
The reasons for his suspension were not released by city officials.
Officials have declined to say why Avalos was placed on administrative leave.
Last week, Socorro officials announced that investigators with the the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would be randomly interviewing officers with the Socorro Police Department about any potential EEOC violations.
Socorro officials said officers would “fully cooperate” with the interviews
