Española Police Department lost both Deputy Chief Larry Ham and officer Abinashi Khalsa, the first Departmen’s Sikh officer, last month.
Deputy Chief Larry Ham is retiring after 19 months with the Department, Acting City Manager Veronica Albin said. Ham left March 27 for three months of leave to care for a sick family member, and will retire after that (see related story above). She said the Department has begun advertising for a new deputy chief.
Ham did not return calls for comment.
Ham was paid $51,500 a year to be in charge of day-to-day operations at the department such as scheduling, handling public complaints and being a liaison with other law enforcement agencies, according to Sgt. Christian Lopez and city documents.
“When the chief was out doing chief stuff, the (Deputy Chief) pretty much ran the Department,” Lopez said.
Ham brought some new ideas to Española, even issuing press releases during his first few months on the force.
“He was working real hard on retention, trying to get some new people hired,” Sgt. Richard Gallegos said.
In his absence, Lt. Annabelle Gasca, who returned in January from military leave, and other high-ups in the Department will pick up the slack, Gallegos and Lopez said.
Lopez pointed out that the Department was without a deputy chief for at least a year and a half before Ham arrived in 2007, and wouldn’t struggle to get his job covered in his absence.
The Department is also down six officers with the March resignation of Khalsa,. 24. He said he has returned to Los Angeles, Calif.
said Tuesday. “I’m back in L.A. enjoying myself. It’s 74 degrees and sunny.”
Khalsa gave Española Public Safety Chief Julian Gonzales his letter of resignation March 3, stating he would gladly make his departure date 90 days later to keep the Department from being short-staffed. Instead, Gonzales made his departure effective immediately.
“I think it’s a great group of guys,” Khalsa said of the Department. “I learned some very valuable tools and I think I’m a better police officer for it.”