Tool PD Fired Officer Juan Ochoa Over His Body Camera

The Tool Police Department fired Officer Juan Ochoa over his body camera.

In an October 14 email answering my questions, Tool Police Chief Robert Walker wrote that Ochoa was terminated effective October 7 for his "continued failure to ensure that his department-issued body-worn camera was operational and functioning as required by departmental policy." Ochoa had already received verbal warnings and written discipline for not using his camera on calls and traffic stops, the Chief wrote, and "despite these previous corrective measures, the issue continued." The Chief's full email is at the end of this article.

How Long It Took

The department's own records, which I reported on in April, show when the camera problem was first in writing.

• September 18, 2024: Lt. Jason Lee orders all patrol officers, including Ochoa, to record every enforcement encounter. The directive warns that failing to comply "may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination."
• June 13, 2025: Sgt. Jesus Mendoza tells Ochoa, "When dealing with Tool citizens or on a call, always have your BWC on. It's for your protection." Ochoa answers, "Yes, sir." Mendoza's memo records it as the most recent of "multiple verbal warnings."
• June 20, 2025: Ochoa pursues Leo Boyd and strikes his motorcycle with a patrol vehicle while not wearing his body camera. Mendoza's written reprimand treats the camera violation as insubordination and says it "may be used in the consideration of future disciplinary action should further violations occur."
• June 25, 2025: Chief Walker's letter of reprimand lists two violations, "Failure to Wear BWC While On Duty" and the pursuit. It suspends Ochoa for one week, puts him on six months of disciplinary probation, and warns that further violations "will result in escalated disciplinary action, up to and including termination."
• April 8, 2026: Chief Walker tells me, "I'm not going to terminate an officer for the first time incident, second time. Depending on what it is."
• October 7, 2026: Ochoa is terminated, the Chief wrote, for "repeated violations of departmental policy and the failure to correct previously identified deficiencies."

The reason the Chief gave in October is the outcome the 2025 records warned of. About two years passed between the department-wide directive and the termination, and more than 15 months passed after Ochoa was disciplined over his camera.

The records the department released to me in April, in answer to my request for all of Ochoa's disciplinary actions, document multiple verbal warnings and two written disciplinary actions that cite the camera, Sgt. Mendoza's reprimand and the Chief's suspension letter, both over the June 2025 incident. They contain no camera violation after that incident, but they only cover his file through April 8, 2026, and I have not requested his records since. The Chief's October email does not say how many more violations there were, and the records I have do not show how many of Ochoa's calls and traffic stops after June 2025 lack video, or whether any case that came out of them was affected. In April, several residents told me they had been told there was no video of their encounters with him.

Answering those questions would take a new records request. With Ochoa no longer with the department, I decided it was not worth the city's time to process one at this stage. Tool residents who want those answers can still ask. The Texas Public Information Act gives every resident the same right to request Ochoa's disciplinary records after April 8, 2026, and any records showing whether and how the department audited body camera use.

The Chief wrote that the department reported the separation to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), the state agency that licenses peace officers, as state law requires. He did not say what the report says.

The Rest of His Record

The Chief's email cites no misconduct beyond the camera violations. Ochoa's three years in Tool were the longest stretch of his career; before Tool, none of his stints at the Kemp, Seven Points, Malakoff, or Trinity Valley College police departments reached two years.

He kept up his training after the pursuit. Thirteen days later he completed a de-escalation course, and since then his record shows active-shooter response training, a 16-hour course on trauma-informed sexual assault investigations, and a wellness course. The last course on his record, dated August 4, is a two-hour online class titled "Protecting Your TCOLE License."

As of October 15, his TCOLE record still shows his Tool service ending October 7 and no appointment with any other agency. His peace officer license remains active.

Primary Documents

Chief Walker's October 14 email, in full. The highlighting is mine. Select an image to enlarge it.

Ochoa's TCOLE Licensee Service Report, as of October 15, 2026.