News
PRC Approves Electric Co-op's Variance

Biomass Firm Claims Deal

A Forge-Fired Degree

School Year Starts With Buses Rolling Smoothly

'They Took My Life Savings'

Minors Work at DWI Memorial

Saddle Makes All the Difference

Moriarty Discusses New School

Trustee May Step in for Hibbs

Committee Tackles Canyon Traffic

More
News

HOME	CLASSIFIEDS	OBITUARIES	SPORTS	OPINION

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Edgewood Won't Be Using Mounted Patrol

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    After a closed-session meeting July 11, the Edgewood Town Council dissolved its agreement with the New Mexico Mounted Patrol due to a technical problem.
    Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Ring sat in for Edgewood Mayor Howard Calkins— who was attending a training session in Albuquerque that evening— at the council meeting when the agreement was dissolved.
    The New Mexico Mounted Patrol was to be used to augment the State Police force in Edgewood. State Police have a joint powers agreement to provide law enforcement service to the town.
    Both are interim measures until the town has a police department, but the town also expects to be able to call on both police services after its own department is in place.
    The mounted patrol is a volunteer program, but the town was to pay expenses such as gas and also provide insurance for the NMMP officers.
    According to Ring, the way the contract between the town and NMMP is written, the town won't be able to provide insurance.
    Because of a state statute, the NMMP is required to work under a police department for the town to provide services such as workers' compensation and liability insurance. Because Edgewood has no police department, the town would not be allowed to insure the NMMP.
    Ring said the technicality might be cleared up after the town hires a chief of police.
    The town has set a goal of having its own police department by late 2008.
    One of the first steps in that process is hiring a chief and structuring legal documents that outline how the department will run.
    The mayor has appointed a task force of Ring, Councilor Glenn Felton and Town Administrator Jeff Condrey to work on the issue.
    The town requested proposals in May for a consultant to help with creating a police force, but the deadline passed without any response.
    Ring said the New Mexico Sheriff's and Police Association, New Mexico State Police, the Torrance County Sheriff's Department and an unnamed person from the Santa Fe Police Department, among others, are willing to help with the task.
    Apparently there are no firm commitments yet, and Ring declined to give out any names. He said an action regarding that issue was on the schedule for Wednesday's council meeting.