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Thursday, August 30, 2007

Edgewood Needs Cops Fast

FOR THE RECORD: This story has been corrected to reflect that the JPA ends June 30, 2008.

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    In January 2008, 24-hour police coverage in Edgewood may no longer be guaranteed.
    The town currently has a joint powers agreement with New Mexico State Police, which requires that at least one officer be on duty at all times. That agreement runs out on June 30, 2008, with the guaranteed coverage ending in January.
    According to Edgewood Town Councilor Glenn Felton, however, the town will be no worse off at that point. An ad hoc committee is already working on hiring a police force for Edgewood.
    "We're moving as fast as we absolutely can," he said.
    Felton is the head of the Edgewood Public Safety Committee, which meets once a month and has the task of laying the groundwork for a town police department.
    The committee consists of Councilors Felton and Chuck Ring; Town Administrator Jeff Condrey; retired police officer Ernie Salcido; Harlan Lawson, the head of the local business watch program; New Mexico Mounted Patrol Chief Randy Irwin; Santa Fe Police Captain Tem Mitchell; and Santa Fe County Fire Chief Stan Holden.
    According to the committee's estimates, the police force will have an annual budget of $1.25 million, about seven officers in both full- and part-time positions, and an administrative assistant.
    The town has budgeted for a police chief to be hired by October. At least part of the staff in addition to the chief will be hired by the start of 2008, according to Felton.
    Augmented by State Police, which will continue to have a field office in Edgewood after its agreement with the town expires, the Edgewood Police Department would be on duty during the hours most crimes are committed, Felton said.
    "Once they get rolling, they'll have to try to mandate when their coverage is going to be needed," said Torrance County Sheriff Clarence Gibson.
    Felton said Gibson and other representatives of nearby law enforcement agencies have been in contact with the committee, and may even be involved in the hiring of Edgewood's police chief.
    "They're already pulling crime stat reporting to see what's going on ... I think that's the hardest thing, is finding out when you need it (policing) and where you need it," Gibson said. "I think they're doing a good job ... they've talked to everybody (in local law enforcement) ... it's incredibly hard to start from nothing."
    To help expedite the process, some equipment that may take longer to arrive will be ordered before the hire of the police chief.
    Vehicles and radios, for example, are anticipated to arrive at roughly the same time as the new chief.
    "We need the vehicles," said Felton.
    There is still debate among committee members about the number of four-wheel-drive vehicles versus two-wheel-drive cars that would best serve the police force.
    Felton expects that decision to be made soon, while other decisions will have to wait until a police chief is hired.
    "The decisions you make about a weapons system could be fatal errors," Felton said.
    Some questions— such as whether to equip all the officers with Glock G35s or allow them to supply their own weapons— were raised at the committee's most recent meeting on Aug. 23.
    Felton said that because the weaponry won't take as long to order as vehicles, those decisions would be left to the chief.