Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tucumcari police have implemented most of the recommendations from a 2017 review of the city police department’s policies and procedures, Police Chief David Lathrom told the city commission Thursday at a public work session before the commission’s regular meeting.
District 1 Commissioner Ralph Moya had asked for discussion at a work session of the department’s response to the 2017 report, compiled by former New Mexico State Police Lt. Nathan Wallace.
“A lot of what’s in that report, we were doing anyway,” Lathrom said.
The report had faulted field training of Tucumcari officers. Lathrom said all officers receive field training before they are allowed to respond to calls alone.
In fact, Lathrom said, “I have the best trained officers in the state. Period.”
Patrol officers get training in supervision. Supervisors get management training, and top officers are getting executive-level training, Lathrom said.
Lathrom also said Tucumcari Police have improved relations with the Quay County Sheriff’s Department and state police.
“The sheriff’s department backs us up, and we back them up,” Lathrom said. He said he is grateful New Mexico State Police investigate major crimes.
“We don’t have the time to investigate major crimes” that can be quite time-consuming, Lathrom said.
On relations with the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s office, Lathrom said, “People who have a problem with the DA’s office no longer work for us.”
Favoritism, he acknowledged, was a problem before he became chief, but “that’s not true anymore.”
Moya challenged Lathrom on the time police spend responding to calls at the city’s travel centers.
Lathrom said he responds to calls at truck stops “because state law says we do.”
Tucumcari, he said, is “upside-down.” Based on population, he said, the city has too many police officers. Based on call volume, however, the city does not have enough officers.
Despite the number of calls, he said, Tucumcari is a low-crime city.
The city has relatively few drunken-driving arrests because it does not have a lot of bars, Lathrom said. Nor does it have many carjackings or other potentially violent crimes.
Moya said sometimes police do not provide reports when people want them.
Lathrom said officers are instructed not to consult reports while they are driving, and cannot provide information until their shifts are over.
Officers, he said, do not go home until their reports for the day are done.
Moya also said officers spend too much time in court.
Lathrom responded, “When the judge says you will appear at 10 a.m., you appear at 10 a.m.”
Historical museum
At the work session, the city’s apparently reduced support for the Tucumcari Historical Museum came under fire from the museum’s leadership.
Cindy Lathrom, a member of the Tucumcari Historic Research Institute, which operates the museum, said the city’s support has been lacking in building maintenance and personnel to extend the museum’s operating hours.
The city’s agreement with the museum has been canceled, she said.
In July, city attorney Randy Knudson said the city’s contract with the institute should be declared “null and void” because it did not set time limits and its provisions violated the “anti-donation clause,” a state law that prohibits public funds from assisting a private entity, even a nonprofit.
“We are not independently wealthy,” Lathrom said of the institute, and the museum should receive better support from the city.
Martinez said the institute needs to find more volunteers to extend operating hours.
Lathrom said the city’s “very indigent population” and a “huge vetting process” that volunteers must undergo before they are authorized to work with visitors, including background checks, limits volunteers.
While the city seems to bear responsibility for maintenance of the museum that’s housed a former schoolhouse built in 1902, Lathrom said there are places where bricks and mortar are separating, interior plaster walls are wet after storms, and there are electrical issues.
“Lights have been out in the basement for a year and a half,” she said.
She also said work orders presented to the city from the museum have been ignored.
Martinez said he was not aware of any work orders from the museum.
Lathrom said there is a “lack of communications” between the museum and the city. As an example, she cited the city’s borrowing of an old hotel sign about 10 years ago. The sign, she said, disappeared and has not been located.
Mayor Ruth Ann Litchfield asked whether the museum has been seeking grants.
Lathrom responded that writing grants should be the city’s responsibility.
Lathrom said museum volunteers need more help from the city as they work on restoring the museum’s outdoor windmill and fighter jet displays.
Despite apparent shortages of resources, institute President Alan Daugherty said the organization wants to move ahead with plans to host tour buses this summer, some featuring tours that would involve overnight stays.
Such tours would bring business to the city, he said, and make what could have been $200 stops into $10,000 stops.
For that, he said, “we need support from the city.”
Daugherty also said the museum may host art classes that were once held at the Gallery Etc., as well as genealogy classes.
Moya asked whether the institute has asked for assistance from the county. Daugherty said the institute has not done so, and he appealed for more help from the city.
Three commissioners, District 4 Commissioner Chris Arias, District 5 Commissioner Todd Duplantis and Litchfield, said there should be more discussions between museum and city officials. Litchfield said the commission should have a liaison with the research institute.
Other business
In other matters, the commission:
• Approved two changes to contracts involving the Second Street resurfacing project in downtown Tucumcari. One was to add a culvert to divert water from ramps for disabled individuals at Second and Main streets at a cost of $3,023, and add 21 days to the contract deadline to accommodate recent cold weather and snowfall delays. The other was to add $17,400 to the engineering contract with Bohannon Huston to add supervision of the paving of street and additional contract days. Contract manager Ralph Lopez said all funds are covered by grant funds for the project.
• Approved a reduction in spending of about $5,000 for the Tucumcari Senior Citizens Center’s Foster Grandparent program. The funds would have been used for stipends to volunteers and to reimburse them for mileage. The COVID-19 pandemic has curtailed this program, Senior Center Director Clara Rey said.
• Authorized the city’s Community Development Department to seek a grant for COVID-19-related grants from the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for Tucumcari Municipal Airport. Lopez said the grant would be for about $9,000.
In his city manager’s report, Martinez:
• Announced the city would receive $1.4 million in American Rescue Plan funds through the office of U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez. Martinez said he is learning about how the funds may be used.
• Discussed arrangements for ambulance and emergency medical services involving Tucumcari and Logan, which operate services for areas outside municipal limits. Tucumcari provides service for the county, Martinez said, and Logan’s service extends into Harding County. Martinez said Tucumcari and Logan seek to place limits that allow them to confine service to areas closer to city and village limits. The decision lies with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.
Moya asked why two ambulances respond to calls in the city. Fire and Rescue Chief Casey Mackey said sending two ambulances serves training purposes, and allows quick dispatch if another call is received while emergency medical personnel are at the scene. The process helps new emergency medical personnel meet certification requirements, he said.
Moya also said drug problems in the city are causing concern.
District 2 Commissioner Paul Villanueva asked about progress on repairing a damaged cemetery wall and lighting at the cemetery. Martinez said the city is progressing on receiving insurance money for the wall repairs, but lighting would serve the cemetery at times when it is closed.
Villanueva also said people have been throwing the wrong kinds of trash in city garbage containers.
Duplantis praised the efforts of Kathi McClelland in organizing volunteers to clean up trash along First Street and mentioned that loose dogs are a problem in the city.