Published 10/23/08
Española Police has hired a new DWI officer to replace former officer Bobby Wright, who resigned to work for Ohkay Owingeh Tribal Police Sept. 4.
Robert Vigil, formerly a Cuba Police officer, was hired Sept. 29 for Wright’s old position, Española Deputy Chief Larry Ham said Tuesday. Vigil’s starting salary is $17 an hour, Ham said.
The DWI officer position is funded by a state grant providing $45,738 annually. After the departure of Wright, Ham said it was important to find a replacement quickly to avoid losing the funding.
Vigil is a certified law enforcement officer who is also already trained to operate the Breathalyzer testing equipment and perform field sobriety testing, Ham said.
Ham said Vigil left Cuba for Española in the interests of moving to a bigger department for career advancement.