Fort Worth Officer Fired, Admits to Being Dishonest at Off-Duty Job, Department Says

A Fort Worth police officer has been fired after being accused of lying while working an off-duty job.

According to the Fort Worth Police Department, Police Officer Eddie Tellez was terminated after an internal affairs investigation revealed he lied about how many hours he worked during a shift as a security guard.

The department said they received a complaint on July 11 that Tellez submitted an invoice for an off-duty job showing he worked five hours. Security camera footage apparently showed the actual time he worked was 20 minutes.

“When the employer disputed the hours listed on the invoice, Officer Tellez continued to be dishonest and told the off-duty job coordinator that he worked approximately four hours, but left early due to a family emergency,” the department said in a statement Monday. “During the investigation, Officer Tellez admitted to being dishonest, leaving the job after working approximately 20 minutes, and that he did not have a family emergency that caused him to leave early.”

After reviewing the investigation, Fort Worth Chief of Police Neil Noaks determined Tellez violated multiple department policies and ended his employment with the department.

“The Fort Worth Police Department holds its officers to a high standard both on and off-duty and does not tolerate criminal misconduct or unethical behavior. Our department will continue to hold accountable those who do not meet that standard and in doing so, will continue to be transparent and open with our community,” the department said.

Tellez, according to the department, had been with the FWPD for five years and was assigned to the Patrol Bureau.