Vanessa Ordoñez

Provide a short bio of yourself and tell us how you got into public service?

My name is Vanessa Ordoñez, and I am a proud first-generation American who is rooted right here in Doña Ana County. I was raised to believe that service, hard work, and perseverance are non-negotiable. Right after high school, I joined the United States Navy and became a combat veteran at just 19 years old. That experience forged my leadership under pressure and taught me what it means to fight for something bigger than yourself.

After serving my country overseas, I returned home determined to continue serving my community. I earned my master’s degree in criminal justice and have over two decades of law enforcement and military experience that focused on accountability, public safety, and protecting families.

As former chief of police for the City of Anthony, I helped lead a department committed to results, transparency, and community trust earning the safest city to live in New Mexico in 2025.

My life has been defined by service, from the military to law enforcement, to standing up for the people of Doña Ana County. I know what sacrifice looks like. I know what it means to earn every opportunity. And I believe leadership is about courage, discipline, and delivering results.

What is one thing the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office is not doing well right now—and what is the first thing you would change?

One of the first things I would look at is whether the Sheriff’s Office is fully aligned internally in making sure every person is in the right role, properly supported, and set up to succeed.

A key priority would be strengthening and investing in civilian staff. They are the backbone of the department, and they are handling critical support functions that allow deputies to focus on field operations. When civilian staff are understaffed or under-supported, it impacts the entire system.

My first focus would be improving that internal foundation through better staffing alignment, clearer roles, and stronger support and training for civilian employees. When the inside of the organization is strong, deputies are stronger, response is more effective, and public safety improves. Morale can also be improved significantly.

What would your deputies do differently on the street under your leadership that the public would actually notice?

Under my leadership, deputies would spend more time building relationships in our neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and community events, especially with youth, seniors, veterans, and underserved communities. Those positive, non-enforcement interactions strengthen trust, improve communication, and ultimately make our communities safer.

Deputies should be seen as guardians of the community and present, approachable, and invested in the people they serve long before a crisis ever happens. People should feel comfortable approaching deputies, asking questions, and knowing they will be treated with dignity and respect. The public would also see a stronger focus on professionalism, compassion, and de-escalation.

Technology and social media could also be used to highlight the department’s efforts and sharing more of those positive interactions with the community would enhance public trust.

How would you measure whether your department is succeeding—and what numbers would you make public?

I believe success should be measured by clear data and strong public accountability. I would be transparent with the community and regularly share key numbers like crime rates, response times, case clearance rates, use-of-force incidents, and how quickly complaints are resolved. I also strongly support maintaining the CALEA accreditation standards to ensure we are meeting national best practices.

I would track how often deputies are engaged in positive community work, such as visits with our youth, neighborhood events, and outreach efforts that build trust before problems happen. I would also rely on outside reviews and recognition, including professional accreditation, independent audits, and feedback from the community and partner agencies, to make sure we are doing the job the right way and holding ourselves to the highest standards.

We’re seeing more incidents involving young people and guns—what specifically would you change in how the sheriff’s office handles juveniles with firearms and what is the role of the office in relation to city and state police?

I see youth gun incidents as both a safety issue and a prevention failure that requires a stronger, earlier response. I would shift the Sheriff’s Office toward a prevention first approach. We need faster intervention with at-risk youth, stronger coordination with schools and families, and immediate connection to diversion programs, counseling, and mentorship when appropriate under the law.

When a juvenile is found with a firearm, the response must be firm but also focused on stopping the cycle early, not just processing the case.

At the executive level, I would ensure the Sheriff’s Office leads coordination with city police, state police, and schools through real-time information sharing and joint response when needed. Each agency has a role, but the Sheriff’s Office should help unify efforts across jurisdictions. The goal is simple; protect the public, hold youth accountable, and intervene early enough to change outcomes.

In a field this large, why are you the one candidate who should consolidate the vote—and what makes you different from the others in the race?

I am deeply familiar with the current needs in Doña Ana County because I have been actively involved in several boards and have been involved in these conversations and solutions for years. I have established working relationships with our stakeholders and community leaders.

Further, under my leadership, just in 2025, we helped achieve recognition as the safest city in New Mexico through strong leadership, accountability, data-driven policing, and real collaboration with the community. I am also one of the most recent leaders in the profession, so I understand today’s challenges in real time, from staffing and recruitment pressures to rising youth violence and evolving community expectations around transparency and accountability.

That experience matters. It means I already understand what works, what doesn’t, and how to deliver results under pressure. The same strategies that improved safety at the city level can be brought to the county but scaled, strengthened, and applied with consistency. What I offer is proven, current leadership, and a track record of turning strategy into measurable public safety outcomes.