TPD chief requests raises for officers

Tucumcari’s new police chief requested $3-an-hour pay raises and bonuses for officers in her department during a work session Thursday with city commissioners.

Patti Lopez, who had been interim police chief since the firing of predecessor Pete Rivera in January, officially was hired for the position, effective March 21.

City manager Paula Chacon announced Lopez’s hiring during Thursday’s city commission meeting. Chacon had planned to announce it during the commission’s previously scheduled March 23 meeting, but it lacked a quorum.

“She’s made a big difference so far,” Chacon said of Lopez after Thursday’s meeting. “She came out of retirement to do this; this shows where her heart is in wanting to see that department succeed and move forward.”

Lopez had been with the Tucumcari Police Department for 26 years, then spent about three years as an officer in Carlsbad before temporarily retiring in January 2022.

Several commissioners had praised Lopez’s actions in improving officer training and acquiring additional funds during her two months as interim chief.

“I’m very encouraged,” Lopez said after Thursday’s meeting. “There’s a lot of positive support out there and a lot of good energy in the police department right now.”

Chacon said Lopez is being paid nearly $69,000 a year.

During the work session, Lopez advocated the raises for officers so the department can be competitive with other area law-enforcement agencies. Uncertified officers are paid about $17 an hour in Tucumcari. Lopez said uncertified officers in Clovis and Raton are paid about $19 an hour.

“We can afford that with this budget,” Lopez said of her proposed $3-an-hour raises. “In order to attract folks, we need to raise the bottom line.”

Lopez also recommended a sign-on bonus of $10,000 for new officers, plus a 50 to 75 cents per hour retention bonus for current officers to ensure more quality candidates and keep officers her department wants. Some of that money for bonuses can be paid with a $787,500 grant from the state’s Law Enforcement Recruiting Fund awarded last year.

Lopez said about $400,000 was left in the grant, which had been required to be used by June. Lopez said the state likely would grant an extension to Tucumcari and other police departments.

In response to a question, Lopez said TPD lacks four officers for full staffing.

Mayor Ralph Moya said he supported the idea of raises and good salaries for officers but noted TPD needed to be “realistic” about its pay scale because the city is not a high-crime area.

Lopez said she reduced the amount of overtime in the department from 130 hours to 40 hours during the most recent pay period.

The chief also said the department also needs to conduct an evidence inventory.

During the meeting Thursday, commissioners approved an application for a total of $110,000 from the state’s Law Enforcement Protection Fund.

Lopez, who ensured officers were certified before presenting the application, said that money would be used for equipment. The base award is $95,000, plus $1,500 for each certified officer.

Also, the commission approved an application from officer Kevin Johnson for a $105,876.41 grant to TPD from the Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative. Johnson said those funds would be used for computer systems and equipment.

Johnson said the equipment would speed up the processing of officer paperwork and allow it to be done in the field instead of at an office. He said that would reduce police response times and improve officer visibility.

Animal control

The city’s new animal control officer, Elijah Huber, told the commission his department has adopted out 13 dogs and 24 cats since he took over the position about a month ago.

He said the city pound contains 38 animals and is “swamped.” Because of that, he said he cannot impound any dog that is not a risk to public safety.

Huber said he is forging a partnership with Best Friends Animal Society to provide up to 22 vaccinations a month for impounded animals to make them more adoptable.

He said a consultant from Maricopa County, Arizona, has provided three computers for the city’s code-enforcement division. Huber said he also is updating his department’s database.

Asked about the four dogs impounded for their role in attacking and killing a Tucumcari man in February, Huber said the once-aggressive canines have passed a behavior assessment, are displaying “salvageable” behavior and are friendly to humans. He also noted the dogs were fearful at the sight of a shovel or water hose.

Huber acknowledged a judge might issue an order to destroy the dogs. Two Tucumcari residents are charged with felonies for their alleged role in the fatal mauling.

If euthanization is not ordered, Huber said the dogs would be adopted 30 miles or more from Tucumcari, and he was working to have them delivered to an animal sanctuary. He said those dogs could be returned to the pound if their adoptions didn’t work out.