Vanessa Ordonez

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?

Recruitment and retention begin with strong leadership and a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and accountable. With more than two decades of military and law enforcement experience, I understand that people are an agency’s greatest asset.

As Sheriff, I would focus on recruiting qualified candidates and I would review the hiring process to identify unnecessary barriers and make sure we are competitive in attracting and retaining qualified deputies.

Retention requires more than compensation. Deputies need strong leadership, modern equipment, meaningful training, opportunities for advancement, and a professional work environment. I would improve communication between leadership and personnel, establish clear expectations, recognize good performance, and ensure accountability is applied consistently at every level.

Adequate staffing throughout Doña Ana County, especially in our rural communities, requires a data driven approach. I would evaluate call volume, response times, staffing levels, patrol coverage, and geographic needs to determine where resources should be deployed. We cannot use a one size fits all approach for a county as large and diverse as ours.

I also believe morale improves when employees know their leadership listens to them, supports them, and gives them the tools and training to succeed. My goal is to build a professional, forward thinking Sheriff’s Office that attracts good people, develops future leaders, retains experienced personnel, and provides reliable public safety coverage to every community in Doña Ana County, while strengthening trust, accountability, and public service countywide.

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?

Recruitment and retention begin with strong leadership and a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and accountable. With more than two decades of military and law enforcement experience, I understand that people are an agency’s greatest asset.

As Sheriff, I would focus on recruiting qualified candidates and I would review the hiring process to identify unnecessary barriers and make sure we are competitive in attracting and retaining qualified deputies.

Retention requires more than compensation. Deputies need strong leadership, modern equipment, meaningful training, opportunities for advancement, and a professional work environment. I would improve communication between leadership and personnel, establish clear expectations, recognize good performance, and ensure accountability is applied consistently at every level.

Adequate staffing throughout Doña Ana County, especially in our rural communities, requires a data driven approach. I would evaluate call volume, response times, staffing levels, patrol coverage, and geographic needs to determine where resources should be deployed. We cannot use a one size fits all approach for a county as large and diverse as ours.

I also believe morale improves when employees know their leadership listens to them, supports them, and gives them the tools and training to succeed. My goal is to build a professional, forward thinking Sheriff’s Office that attracts good people, develops future leaders, retains experienced personnel, and provides reliable public safety coverage to every community in Doña Ana County, while strengthening trust, accountability, and public service countywide.

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?

If resources prevent the Sheriff’s Office from addressing every public-safety issue equally, my focus would be on violent crime, juvenile crime, and mental-health and substance-use related calls.

First, violent crime requires focused, data-driven enforcement. I would use crime data to identify patterns, repeat offenders, and areas experiencing the greatest impact, then direct resources where they are needed most. Strong coordination with local, state, and federal partners would also be important when appropriate.

Second, preventing juvenile crime would be a priority. Early intervention, stronger partnerships with schools and community organizations, and collaboration with juvenile probation and families can help address problems before young people become involved in the criminal justice system. My experience working with juvenile probation has shown me the importance of intervention before behavior escalates.

Third, we must improve how we respond to mental-health and substance-use related calls. Deputies need the training and resources to recognize these situations, de-escalate when possible, and connect people with appropriate services while protecting the public. We should also explore alternative response models, including partnerships with mental-health professionals and other community-based services, when appropriate.

As Sheriff, I would bring a forward-thinking, prevention-focused approach that uses data, training, technology, and community partnerships to make the most effective use of limited resources. My experience as Chief of Police taught me that public safety is not simply about responding to crime. It is about identifying trends early, building strong partnerships, and addressing problems before they become bigger threats to our communities. I would also continuously evaluate to ensure resources are producing meaningful improvements in public safety.

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?

Accountability and public trust would be central to my leadership as Sheriff. I am Internal Affairs certified, and I am familiar with the process of investigating misconduct and submitting required misconduct reports to the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy. I understand that allegations must be taken seriously, investigated fairly, and handled consistently regardless of rank or position.

When allegations of misconduct or excessive force arise, I would ensure they are documented, investigated promptly and objectively, and addressed according to policy and the law. Oversight is extremely important to me. Deputies deserve a fair process, and the public deserves confidence that complaints are not ignored or handled behind closed doors.

Transparency is essential to building and maintaining trust. The Sheriff’s Office should make appropriate information about complaints, disciplinary actions, and use-of-force incidents available to the public, while protecting victims, witnesses, juveniles, confidential information, and the integrity of ongoing investigations.

I believe accountability should be part of the culture, not something that only happens when there is a public controversy. That means clear policies, consistent supervision, proper documentation, meaningful review, and follow-through when misconduct is substantiated.

As Sheriff, I would work to create an agency where professionalism, accountability, transparency, and community trust are expected at every level. I would also support review of use-of-force trends and complaint data to identify training needs, policy concerns, or patterns that require attention. Transparency should help the agency learn, improve, and strengthen its relationship with the community it serves.

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.