Todd Garrison

Staffing and leadership: Recruitment, retention and morale have been persistent concerns within law enforcement. What specifically would you do to recruit and retain qualified deputies, improve morale and ensure adequate coverage throughout Doña Ana County, particularly in rural communities?

One of the biggest expenses for any law enforcement agency is recruitment.  There is a large amount of time and effort that goes into this process, to include initial testing of applicants, interviewing process, fitness requirements, polygraph and psychological testing, and medical clearance. 

Once all this has been done the training begins — six months of extensive, specialized training in the academy, and upon graduation, another four to six months of on-the-job training. It is very important to recruit the best people possible, and more importantly, to retain them afterwards. 

To retain officers, we must be competitive in respect to pay and required resources. However, more important than that is to provide the best possible work environment. This happens when these officers feel that they belong and are part of a bigger team. They must have opportunities to advance, and to receive the best training possible. 

As the Sheriff of Dona Ana County, I will work to make this possible through clear goals and objectives, professional expectations, clear communication and compassion. I will make sure they have the training and resources needed to serve the public in the most professional way possible. 

Immigration and federal law enforcement: Doña Ana County’s location on the border means the Sheriff’s Office regularly operates alongside federal law-enforcement agencies. What should the relationship be between the Sheriff’s Office and agencies such as Border Patrol and ICE, and where would you draw the line between appropriate cooperation and enforcement of federal immigration law?

I believe it is important for people to understand that all law enforcement takes an oath to uphold the US Constitution, the NM Constitution and to protect the rights of all. I have been involved in law enforcement since 1985. During that time, we have always worked alongside other agencies, to include federal law enforcement. 

As Sheriff, I will continue to work in a professional way with all law enforcement to ensure we provide the best public safety possible to all the people of Dona Ana County. State and local law enforcement do not enforce federal immigration law; we never have.  State and local law enforcement enforce state and local laws and ordinances. The federal government enforces immigration laws. At times, due to the nature of law enforcement, we will work alongside these federal agencies.  We will do that in a professional way to continue to protect the rights of all involved.

Crime priorities: If resources prevent the Sheriff’s Office from addressing every public-safety problem equally, what two or three crime or public-safety issues would receive your greatest attention as sheriff, and what would you do differently to address them?

From the beginning of time, due to the nature of mankind, crime and public safety have been an issue. As law enforcement we will always work to do the best we can to serve the public we were sworn to protect, and resources are required to do this successfully. 

Several of the public safety issues I wish to address are community policing, juvenile/youth crimes, and bringing back school resource officers.  In regards to community policing, I will seek the most current training regarding this issue; however, nothing beats good old-fashioned boots on the ground and hard work. I plan to go into all of our different communities and talk to residents to obtain what they feel their biggest issues of concern are, then to work with them to create a plan of action to address these concerns. 

This will bring law enforcement and concerned citizens to the table to work together to solve the problems. Law enforcement cannot do this alone. To fix these problems, it is going to take all of us working together as a team. 

Our juvenile/youth crimes seem to be increasing. I plan on working closer with juvenile probation, our courts and judges, state law makers, and the concerned public for help to address these issues. Without accountability nothing is going to change. 

I am also planning to work with the county and the school districts to have officers back in our schools. I do feel that in this day and age it is very important to have law enforcement officers ready and available to be proactive in our schools. I understand this is a costly resource, but our children are worth the effort it takes to keep them safe.  Having officers in the schools will also be an effective way to build good relationship between law enforcement and our youth. 

Accountability and public trust: How would you handle allegations of misconduct or excessive force involving deputies, and what information about complaints, disciplinary actions and use-of-force incidents should the Sheriff’s Office make available to the public?

I will handle allegations of misconduct and excessive force involving our deputies in a very professional way by considering and protecting the rights of all involved, conducting a professional investigation in a timely fashion, and utilizing the facts of each case. Accountability is of the utmost importance. 

I plan to utilize social media and a Public Information Officer to keep the public informed as to what is happening in and with the Sheriff’s Office. I believe that transparency is very important to establish trust between law enforcement and the community. 

That being said, I will release as much information as possible regarding the Sheriff’s Office as to complaints, disciplinary actions and use-of-force incidents, making sure not to violate anyone’s rights.  We must comply with the laws that protect employees, and the community’s rights to being treated fairly.    

The Bulletin asked each Dona Ana County candidate four questions to allow voters to assess where the candidates stands on important issues heading into the election. The questions vary for each office, but are the same for every candidate running for the same office.