Saturday, June 14, 2003

Officers of Year named by Optimist Club

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

For the past 19 years, the Breakfast Optimist Club of Belen has shown its appreciation of local law enforcement officers who have made a difference in their communities.

This year, the local organization will honor six police officers at its annual "Respect for Law" banquet on Saturday, June 14. Officers with the Belen, Los Lunas Bosque Farms and Isleta police departments, Valencia County sheriff's office and state police will receive awards as Officer of the Year for their respective departments.

"We do this because we want to honor our officers and to let them know we appreciate what they do," said Patsy Torres of the Breakfast Optimist Club of Belen. "This is something that the International Optimist Club does nationwide."

MARK CAMPOS

New Mexico State Police Officer Mark Campos entered law enforcement four years ago when his brother-in-law lured him into the profession. Starting out in the Pecos-Santa Fe district in 1999, Campos transferred to the Los Lunas area last summer.

Before becoming a state police officer, Campos worked for the United Parcel Service. He said his decision to enter law enforcement was one of the best choices he's made in his life.

"It was always there, but I never made the initiative of doing it," Campos said about his desire for police work. "My brother-in-law, who is a criminal agent for the state police, told me about it, and I decided I wanted to try it."

Campos, who was named Officer of the Year in Santa Fe in 2001, said to be a good police officer is to always keep the public's safety as the No. 1 priority. Whether it is looking for drivers who have been drinking or criminals who prey on the weak, Campos said it's his job to make sure that citizens are safe.

"I enjoy going out there looking for the guys who are driving drunk and that are out there messing up," he said. "My mom always used to say that we always feared the police until I became a police officer. A lot of people look at us as the bad guys — but we're not out there to mess with anyone unless they're doing wrong."

He said a good police officer needs to have the initiative to enforce the law and look to helping people. The job is very different for every officer, Campos said. And making the job enjoyable has to do with the officer's willingness to be fair with people.

"I believe this was my calling," Campos said. "I enjoy it, and I look forward to continuing my career in law enforcement."

There have been many memorable moments in Campos's career, but, he said, a case in which someone took advantage of a trusting woman stands out from the rest.

"I've had quite a few, but the one that stands out was when I was in Pecos," he said. "It was an elderly lady who was very trusting, and she took in a homeless person to housesit when she went on vacation.

"It may not have been a real smart thing to do, but she felt she knew him and trusted him," he said. "He ended up taking her for about $100,000 worth of items and jewelry."

With no leads and only a description of the suspect, Campos combed the streets looking for the man. After canvassing the area for two weeks, Campos found the suspect doing work for another person.

"Although he could really never repay her, he did tell us where a lot of the jewelry was and a lot of it was recovered." Campos said. "It made me feel really good, and she was real thankful."

Campos said he was taken aback when he learned he was named Officer of the Year for the Los Lunas district. He said he's honored especially because he hasn't been here the whole year.

"I feel good about it because it tells me that I'm doing a good job," he said. "With this job, you don't make a lot of money and people don't usually thank you for what you do. I think the job is rewarding itself, but getting an award like this it makes you feel better."

D.J. CHRISTIAN

Before D.J. Christian became a police officer, he was a fire investigator and deputy fire marshal in the Los Ranchos Fire Department. His love of public service helped him embrace the world of law enforcement.

While still employed with the fire department, he enrolled in the police academy and became a reserve with Bernalillo County in 2000. Wanting to change his career path, Christian became a full-time officer with the Isleta Police Department — a position he kept for a year before joining the Bosque Farms Police Department just a little more than a year ago.

"I went through all the training to be a police officer, and I just loved it, and I decided that's what I wanted to do," Christian said. "I loved the fire department, but I wanted to become a police officer and do something different."

He said he loves serving the public, and, if he wasn't a police officer, he would probably still be with the fire department in one capacity or another.

"It really makes me happy when other people are happy with the job I've done," he said.

To be a good police officer, Christian says, a person must be both fair and consistent while enforcing the law. He also said a good officer must be able to communicate with everyone in the community.

It's no secret that police officers and fire fighters have to witness some of the most horrific circumstances in life. With all his years in public service, he has come across things that he wished he could forget but, instead, will always remember.

One of those calls came when he was first at a scene at which a young boy's life was lost at the hand of his father.

"It was actually when I was in the fire department, and there was this kid who had been stabbed by a screwdriver," Christian said. "I was the first one there, and it was a very heartbreaking call. It was very hard."

Throughout his career as a police officer, one person Christian has looked to for advice was his drill instructor, Scott Baird of the Bernalillo Sheriff's Department. He said Baird was fair to everyone and taught him that hard work was the key to a successful career.

"With us, as cadets, he was really fair with us, but, when he needed to discipline us, he would," Christian said. "He wouldn't ask us to do anything that he wouldn't do himself."

Christian said being named Officer of the Year for Bosque Farms means a lot — mostly because he was selected by his peers. Although he feels deeply honored to be chosen, he credits all the officers in the department for the commitment they display to the community on a daily basis.

"It says to me that the guys out there like me and want to work with me," he said. "And I enjoy working with them, too."

VICTOR DAY

For more than two decades, Officer Victor Day of the Isleta Police Department has helped countless people.

Day started his law enforcement career 26 years ago when he became an officer for the Laguna Pueblo Police Department. He said he decided to become an officer with his hometown department after years of working construction.

"I just wanted to do something other than hard labor," Day recalled. "I saw a notice that the police department was hiring, and I applied."

After working several years in Laguna-Acoma, Day spent one year as a police officer at Taos Pueblo before he was hired 11 years ago in Isleta. He said he has thoroughly enjoyed his time in Isleta because he feels he has been able to make a difference in the lives of people in the community.

Day was recently chosen to be the department's community policing officer — a position he hopes will not only bring the pueblo closer together but will help juveniles, senior citizens and everyone in the community.

This is not the first time Day has been named Officer of the Year. His dedication to the job was one reason he received the honor in 1998. He said being a good police officer is about one thing — respect.

"If you don't have respect, you're not going to be able to make much of a difference," Day said. "If you show respect — to everyone, from citizens to the bad guys — you'll get respect back."

The veteran police officer said a good officer must also be able to communicate with everyone in every situation. He said the key to being a good communicator is trying to display an even temperament in every situation.

"That can be hard sometimes," he said. "There are times when someone gets in your face and will become violent. This is a hard job, but with the respect you show to others, you'll receive it in return."

One of the more memorable calls Day recalls is the day he was called to a house on north NM 314. He said he needed to get to the house, but to do so, he needed to get past two fences in his way.

After a few minutes looking for a gate, Day's captain arrived as back up. Day waited by the fence while his supervisor walked around the property looking for a gate.

A few minutes passed and Day decided he didn't want to wait. Day decided to climb over the fences in an attempt to get to the house in a more timely manner. After getting over the first fence OK, Day started up the second fence only to see his captain inside the property.

As he looked at the captain, Day fell flat on his face. "We couldn't stop laughing," Day recalled. "We were there for half an hour just laughing."

For the past several years, Day has volunteered as a hunter-safety instructor for the youth in the pueblo. With a certification from Game and Fish, Day has taught hundreds of kids the ins and outs of what it takes to be a safe hunter.

GERALD ESPINOSA

Belen Police Detective Gerald Espinosa said he wanted to be a police officer ever since he was 8 years old. Fascinated with police cars and sirens, his dream became a reality nine years ago when he was hired by the Tucumcari Police Department in 1994 after spending six years of active duty in the army.

On June 4, 2001, Espinosa was hired at the Belen Police Department as a patrol officer and was recently promoted to detective.

"I wanted to be a police officer to help the community," Espinosa said. "If I weren't a police officer, I'd probably still be in the military."

Espinosa admits that police work is a very hard job but said he enjoys it because every day is different. He will never forget a cold winter day when he came upon a criminal who thought he'd found the perfect disguise.

"I was dispatched to a Christmas tree lot, and, when I got there, I saw a man running down the street with a Christmas tree on his back," he said. "When he saw me, he took off behind a building."

Espinosa started to search the area and saw a disposed pine tree laying on the ground. Upon further inspection of the tree, he noticed the limbs beginning to move. The thief had hidden under the tree in hopes he wouldn't be found.

The Belen detective said being a good officer is much more than making arrests and receiving awards. He said a police officer is someone who is willing to listen and be able to make a judgment call in a split second.

"You have to be self-assured because, in this job, you're required to make decisions that will have a big affect on people's lives," he said. "It's not always going to be the best decision, but it's going to be the best decision at that time.

"I think a good police officer is someone who loves this job," he said. "I think law enforcement picks you — you don't pick it."

Espinosa said he'd advise anyone who wanted to become a police officer not to be afraid to ask questions. He said the more questions you ask, the more you learn. "There is always something to learn," he said. "I am still learning something new everyday."

Although honored to receive the Officer of the Year award for the Belen Police Department, Espinosa credits all of the officers in the department for their dedication to law enforcement. "I don't think I'm more deserving than anyone else, because everybody works hard," Espinosa said.

GARY OKINO

When Valencia County Sheriff's Deputy Gary Okino was asked why he wanted to become a police officer, he admitted it was because of the excitement that law enforcement offers.

Okino put himself through the satellite police academy in Grants seven years ago and took his first police position with the town of Mountainair, where he was also cross-commissioned as a deputy in Torrance County.

For the past five years, Okino has worked in Valencia County and is currently the sheriff's department's certified accident reconstructionist and investigator. He said he's learned a lot working in Valencia County.

Deciding to become a police officer wasn't something that Okino took lightly, but he said the allure of law enforcement was the thrill of the job.

"It just seemed like a real exciting job to be in," he said. "You're out in the public, talking to people and helping them as much as you can. You're out there catching burglars, drunk drivers and get to help investigate crimes. There's something different every day."

Okino said there's so much more to law enforcement, and every police officer is different. There isn't just one thing that makes a person become a good police officer, he said.

"Everyone has their strong points and their weaknesses," he said. "You have to have pretty good self-control, as far as your temper. When you're talking to victims and suspects, you have to treat them with respect.

"You also have to have good communication skills because there are times you're dealing with people twice your size and out-weigh you by 200 pounds," he said. "And when you're able to talk them through, they're a lot more compliant.

"What makes a good officer is everybody who he's around," he said. "All the officers that he works with will guide and teach him. I've been fortunate to work with guys who are very good officers."

Because of Okino's communication skills and respect for everyone he deals with, he has had people — both criminals and victims — tell him that he is the first officer who has treated them with respect.

The self-described thrill-seeker said that if he wasn't a police officer, he would most likely be a firefighter. Not only would it be exciting, Okino said, he would still be able to help people.

"We tend to see a lot of people at their worst," he said. "And it's nice to see them down the line and they've turned their lives around."

With seven years in law enforcement, Okino has seen just about everything there is to see — the good, the tragic and the funny. Okino said he would encourage others to become police officers, but before he did, he said he would warn them of the dangers they would face on a day-to-day basis. "I would tell them that there's always the possibility that they are going to get shot at or someone might pull a knife on you," he said. "And if those are some of the things that you don't mind having to face, then just go for it."

Receiving the Officer of the Year award is something Okino doesn't take lightly. He said he was shocked when he learned of the honor.

"I'm not an award-winning person," he said. "There's probably other deputies who deserve it more than I do. But I really do feel honored."

JAMES HARRIS

After working several years in the New Mexico and Louisiana departments of corrections, Los Lunas Police Detective James Harris said his move into law enforcement was a natural career progression.

With five years experience as a deputy sheriff in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, Harris moved back to New Mexico in 1999 when he became a patrol officer with the Los Lunas Police Department. Two years later, he was promoted to detective in the department's criminal investigation division.

"My brother was actually the one who told me when I was a 13-year-old rebel to watch what I was going to do because eventually I was going to be a police officer," Harris said. "It was just something that really began to interest me the more I learned about the law. It just grew on me."

When asked what he would be if he wasn't in law enforcement, Harris jokingly said, "A crook." On the serious side, Harris said the only thing he has ever done, other than corrections or law enforcement, was working with his hands as a mechanic.

As a mechanically inclined teenager, Harris worked for several small mechanic shops and used his skills in the military as a grounds support technician.

"Although I enjoyed it, it didn't take me long to realize that I was tired of breaking my knuckles," he said. "If I have to fix a car, I'll fix it — but if I don't, I'll take it to someone else who can."

Every officer in every department will always remember certain calls that somehow made the laugh, cry or enraged. One of the more amusing calls Harris remembers was a few months after he was hired in Los Lunas.

"I was called to a house where they were having a loud party over in the Los Lentes Meadows area," he said. "It was a very loud party, and, when I walked up to the door, everyone who was outside ran inside. As they opened the door, a billow of smoke came flowing out of the house.

"Because of that call, we ultimately seized about 14 pounds of marijuana," Harris remembered. "If you're going to be a criminal, don't be a stupid one and throw big parties when you have that much marijuana in your house."

Harris said he would definitely recommend becoming a police officer to anyone interested in law enforcement. He said, although not everyone is cut out for law enforcement, police work is very satisfying and rewarding.

"If you're going to be a cop — be a good cop," he said. "If you're going to do it, you need to do it right. Just because you carry a badge doesn't mean that you're the law. You're there to uphold and enforce the law but not to be the law."

He admits that police work is very demanding but says the work is satisfying to the point that he wouldn't want to do anything else. And, to Harris, receiving this award is more than just an honor.

"Professionally, it's a great honor to be chosen for something like this," he said. "It makes me feel that people are recognizing me for the work that I do. I just hope that I can continue to live up to it.

"Personally, I am extremely honored because it was my peers who voted for this," he said. "Every one of them deserves this award. If it wasn't for them, I couldn't do the job that I do. It makes me feel proud of myself that I have earned their respect."

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