Deputies, sergeants and detectives signed a letter of no confidence in Rio Arriba County Sheriff Lorenzo Aguilar citing an illegal ticket quota, dysfunctional and distant commanders, a lack of basic equipment and training and the loss of 10 deputies during his tenure.
Albuquerque lawyer Aubrey Blair Dunn wrote the letter for the deputies, classifying it as a whistleblower’s complaint, after his office was contacted and ask to write the letter.
“Unfortunately, as we know from the previous few years, the hard-working deputies of the sheriff’s department have struggled to find a competent leader and it appears once again those struggles continued,” he wrote. “The deputies who have put their name on this notice have all done so because they honor the oath they have taken. Sheriff Aguilar and his administration are on notice that my and other law firms are monitoring the situation closely and any retaliation upon these deputies will not be tolerated.”
Dunn is running as a Republican for lieutenant governor.
Eleven of 21 deputies, four of four sergeants, one of two detectives and one unsworn sheriff’s office employee are calling for Aguilar to appear before the Rio Arriba County Commission and respond to their complaints. They are also asking that the county begin an investigation into “leadership, retention, communication, training, scheduling, and technology access failures identified herein;” and look into allegations that Lt. Chris Gurule tried to barter votes for preferential treatment on a criminal case and a job offer.
They are also demanding, in the meantime, a suspension of a quota for the number of tickets they write, access to basic infrastructure that only the top brass has, “immediate engagement with line personnel through monthly all-employee meetings and documented follow-up on the ‘Items of Deputies Concern’ and a public report of findings and a corrective action plan.
In a statement, Aguilar wrote that he received the vote of no confidence on Monday (5/4) afternoon and he is not going to “litigate those issues through the media or social media” because they involve personnel, operational and election-related allegations.
The signatures are dated May 1 and 2. The letter was sent to the Rio Grande SUN on Tuesday.
“I will respond through the appropriate County process and will cooperate with any fair and appropriate Review,” Aguilar wrote. “In the meantime, our deputies will continue serving the public, responding to calls, and doing the work the people of Rio Arriba County expect from this office.”
In the Democratic primary election, three people are running against Aguilar: Marvyn Jaramillo, former undersheriff Monica Salazar and Manuel Valdez. Robert Vigil is running for sheriff as a Republican.
Leading by Example
Leading off the problems is the loss of 10 deputies during Aguilar’s short tenure since Sheriff Billy Merrifield’s death last April. There are 23 deputy positions, two of which are currently unfilled.
Aguilar’s command staff “lacks effective communication amongst themselves” leading to miscommunication and deputies have “minimal interaction” with them, so they can’t raise issues or seek guidance, Dunn wrote.
The Rio Arriba County Commission appointed Aguilar as sheriff following Merrifield’s death and he subsequently fired Salazar the undersheriff.
Basic Equipment and Training
Deputies need basic supplies to do their jobs, including laptop chargers, car jacks, more protective equipment for biozhazard, extrication tools and training, access to the National Crime Information Center database, pepper spray, “evidence-area cleanup and equipment removal,” spike strips and training on how to use them, better lighting and sirens and “a designated pre-academy coordinator to ensure recruits have required system access and equipment,” among other things, the letter said.
Only the sheriff and major can grant access to some systems which newly hired deputies need, but requests for access “go unanswered, leaving deputies without necessary systems for basic tasks,” Dunn wrote.
Deputies are also expected to do civil process service, despite no training, and respond to calls for service and complete paperwork, like incident reports, “with compressed time for documentation under threat of harsh discipline.”
“Despite numerous and repeated requests for these issues to be addressed, little if any progress had been made by Sheriff Aguilar,” Dunn wrote.
Ticket Quota
Deputies say they are required to issue three to five tickets during peak patrol hours, even though many of them are lacking the basic equipment to do their jobs, like ticket books (deemed too expensive), functioning printers, in-vehicle internet and access to systems to write the citations, he wrote.
“Deputies assert that requiring five citations per day per deputy eliminates officer discretion and is an unlawful quota system,” Dunn wrote.
Burnout
Deputies are experiencing burnout as they are being required to work overtime because of not enough people working and poor planning and scheduling.
“Leadership reportedly directs others to work doubles rather than leading by example,” Dunn wrote.
Votes for Jobs
Lt. Chris Gurule allegedly “questioned” someone at a bar, and later at their house, on April 16 about their “political allegiance,” Dunn wrote.
“The resident reports that Deputy Gurule stated that if the resident voted for Sheriff Aguilar, he would contact Aguilar to coordinate with the District Attorney’s Office to have the resident’s charges dropped and that the resident’s granddaughter would have a job by Monday, which the resident understood as an attempt to influence his vote through the promise of official action and personal benefit,” he wrote.
That is just one example of alleged electioneering, as deputies have been talking to the New Mexico Department of Justice “with concerns of election fraud,” Dunn wrote.