Q&A: New chief shares progress report

After a week on the job as the city of Tucumcari's chief of police, David Lathrom is still getting acclimated to his many duties and responsibilities.

Lathrom answered some questions about his first days as chief and the short term and long term goals he has as the head of the Tucumcari Police Department.

Why apply to become the chief of police for the city of Tucumcari?

I have been looking for some time for a job that was in the Arizona/New Mexico area. I have vacationed through the area and have traveled through and enjoyed staying in Tucumcari.

When I saw that a position had opened up in Tucumcari, I immediately became interested.

How has the transition been for taking over as the chief of police?

It has been really nice; I could not have asked for a better reception by the city or the officers.

What are some of the first things you have done since starting?

I started by taking a look at the department and finding out who has what responsibilities. I want to learn how the system has been operated and the paper work and systems in place.

I have been working to acclimate myself to the job, personnel and officers.

I am still learning all the streets of the city and where everything is located. One of the main things I need to know as chief is the layout of the city.

I also have been familiarizing myself with the various departments and agencies in the city. This includes meeting with the Quay County sheriff, local judges and departments heads. I have also been meeting with the local school officials and hospital administration.

What are some of the short term priorities that you would like to see accomplished in the first three months of your term?

The immediate concerns is how the department is functioning. How effective and efficient are the operations of the department and is there anything that I can do to help make that better?

In the next few months, I will be concentrating on community outreach. I want to communicate with the residents of Tucumcari to see what their needs and concerns are and their past experiences of the police department. I want to create a strong relationship between the community and department.

The department has several internal issues that are not necessarily bad, but I would like to make them better. I also want to make sure the department is meeting all of the state requirements as a law enforcement agency as well.

How would the community contact the department to express their concerns or needs?

There are several options. The residents can come by the department, call or write down their concerns. I will review and consider every comment about concerns or recommendations from the citizens. I have an email address that is listed on the city's website but to be honest, I am not that savvy with technology. I prefer face-to-face interaction with the residents. I want to create a relationship with the residents that will make them feel safe and comfortable about coming into the department to voice their concerns and needs.

One thing I would like to do is send out cards with the officers that would allow the department to learn about their experience during a call. I would also like to send out surveys to the residents asking them about their experience with the officers. I don't want residents to think they are receiving a citation or summons to court; this is just a tool for the department to better serve the residents.

What are your thoughts on the need for officer recruitment for the city?

We are two positions short. We did test last week for applicants and plan to test again in the very near future.

I would like to create a recruitment pool that will allow us to quickly fill any openings in the department. It would be nice to have a pool of people that we could draw potential recruitments from. We want to have a list of people we feel would be qualified to serve the residents of Tucumcari.

I would also like to work with our local community college and area college and universities to recruit those students interested in a career in law enforcement.

- Complied by QCS Senior Writer Thomas Garcia