The city of Española named a new public safety chief Tuesday night, ensuring a replacement will be in line when outgoing Chief Joe Martinez’s resignation takes effect Friday.
Mayor Alice Lucero appointed Leo Montoya to the post, which oversees both the police and fire departments. The City Council approved the appointment 7-0.
Montoya has served nearly 30 years in law enforcement, including as the Santa Clara Tribal Police chief the past two years and stints with the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Department and the Española Police Department prior to that, according to the state Law Enforcement Academy.
Lucero said she interviewed at least eight people for the position, but Montoya was the best candidate.
“He’s got a lot of talent,” she said. “He’s got a lot of good experience.”
Among those rumored to have gotten interviews were former Sheriff candidate Freddie Trujillo and former Española deputy chief Raye Byford.
Lucero said she was also taken aback by Montoya’s ability to steer grants to his department at the pueblo and by his plans for change in Española.
City councilors were supportive of the mayor’s choice.
District 2 Councilor Helen Kain Salazar said she’s heard good things about him so far.
“I understand that he’s very productive,” she said. “He knows his way around the public safety.”
District 3 Councilor Chayo Garcia said she knows Montoya personally and is confident in his abilities, though she wouldn’t specify any further.
“I think he can handle it,” she said. “He’s going to be an asset.”
Martinez had announced in a letter to Lucero and City Manager James Lujan Jan. 11 that he was leaving his position with the city effective Friday.
Montoya said Tuesday morning that he had met with Española Police Department leaders, including Española Police Lt. Christian Lopez and Martinez, but said he wanted to meet with the rest of the Department before discussing any changes he has planned. Montoya said he feels he can make a difference in the Department.
“It was a very productive meeting,” he said. “Joe Martinez and I go back a long ways.”
Lopez said he was an officer in the Department while Montoya was still a detective there. Lopez said he thought he could work under Montoya.
“He’s fair for the most part,” Lopez said of Montoya.
If Lucero had not appointed anyone to the post by Friday, the job would have fallen by default to either Lopez or Lt. Richard Gallegos. Lopez said previously he would be in charge of the Department in that case because he tested for the lieutenant position and Gallegos was appointed by the chief on a temporary basis last August.
Lucero has opposed Lopez gaining control of the Department, telling Española Det. Bryan Martinez in a March meeting he secretly recorded that she was not going to pick Lopez for the job because she thought he would be “controlled” by District 4 Councilor Robert Seeds, a political rival.
Monique Lopez, a secretary at the state Law Enforcement Academy, said Montoya’s certification, which allows him to be a police officer in the state, is still current. She also said Montoya was first hired with the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Department in 1981 and was terminated from there in 1984. In 1985, he was hired at the Española Police Department, where he worked until resigning in 2002. He was again hired by the Sheriff’s Department in 2003 and worked there until 2005, when he was hired at the Santa Clara Tribal Police Department. He was named chief there in 2008 and held the post until December, though Montoya said he held the post until this month.
Montoya also said he collects a pension through the state Public Employees Retirement Association, but he said he didn’t know if he would lose his pension until he met with the Association, which he hadn’t as of Tuesday. State law currently requires Association retirees to give up their pensions if they take a new job in the public sector.
Montoya’s long history in law enforcement is not unblemished, according to the Academy.
In 2004, while Montoya was still with the city Department, Monique Lopez said Montoya was put on probation for one year and he was put on retroactive leave from June 1, 2003, to June 20, 2003. She also said he was ordered to attend an ethics course and submit proof that he attended.
Academy investigator Ernie Holmes said the probation stemmed from Montoya allegedly killing an elk out of season in Rio Arriba County.
Montoya said some of the information provided through the Academy was incorrect, arguing he resigned from the Sheriff’s Department, rather than being fired, because he felt his chances for advancement and promotion were better with the city. He also added that he worked as a federal probation officer on tribal lands for about 1.5 years prior to getting hired as a patrolman with the Santa Clara Police Department.
As for the probation, Montoya said he was cited by state Game and Fish Department officials and wanted to put it behind him.
Lucero said she discussed Montoya’s past issues with him and said they appear “really political.”
“Just what he told me, it felt political,” she said. “What he has to offer is far greater than what’s in his past.”