Saturday, June 7, 2008

Peralta police coverage talks solidify with BF

Julia M. Dendinger News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jdendinger@news-bulletin.com

Bosque Farms There was what could be called an historic meeting of the minds Wednesday morning as the mayors and councilors from both Bosque Farms and Peralta sat down to hammer out a joint powers agreement for law enforcement for the fledgling Town of Peralta.

Bosque Farms Village Councilor Dolly Wallace and Peralta Town Councilor Joseph Romero were unable to attend the 8 a.m. meeting held at the Bosque Farms council chambers.

Mark Jarmie, the attorney for the Village of Bosque Farms, said the agreement had been reviewed by the New Mexico Municipal League and met mostly with approval. "They did suggest more clarity in respect to the Bosque Farms officers' opportunity and duty to enforce the Peralta ordinances," he said.

Peralta Mayor Bryan Olguin said the only concern he and the council had was the fact that the agreement did not specify any amount of time to be spent patrolling Peralta. "We don't want a minute-by-minute accounting, but could we have something in there that says you will patrol daily at least?" he requested.

Joe Stidham, Bosque Farms chief of police, said the agreement had been left open so the police department didn't "back ourselves into a corner." Stidham went on to explain that Peralta would simply be folded into the patrol routes.

"We will just do the job. We will encompass them into our daily routes," he said. "I'd hate to have to spend a certain amount of time there, and end up with officers twiddling their thumbs or not spend enough time there and have Peralta feel short-changed."

Bosque Farms Councilor Virgil Proctor said he was concerned about the village's budget and the possible strain patrolling Peralta could add. "What we are offering and what you expect, well, there might be a gap there," he said to the Peralta officials. "We have $960,000 for law enforcement. When I think about expanding our coverage area, I'm not sure what the purpose is or if it's what you thought."

Stidham said Peralta would be contributing $85,000 per year, which would pay for the addition of another officer to the Bosque Farms force, bringing its total to 12 officers.

"That will round out our complement. Right now, with an uneven number, sometimes we only have one officer on patrol," the chief said. Stidham went on to point out that BFPD already responds to emergency calls in Peralta.

"We respond to about 50 percent of the dedicated calls for service," he said. "Just yesterday (Tuesday,) we were in Peralta with four units assisting a (Valencia County) sheriff's deputy execute a warrant.

"For all intents and purposes, we are already doing the job. This is about being a good neighbor and benefiting both communities."

Olguin said that Stidham had done an outstanding job in his efforts to work with Peralta. "Your chief is one of the big reasons we are pursuing this option," he said. "Other than the time issue, we are ready to move forward."

Again referencing a tight budget, Proctor brought up the issue of the amount of time officers spend in court drawing overtime pay. "Our judge has tried to streamline the process so that officers aren't sitting there three or four hours," he said. "That is something we would need to work on with (Peralta Municipal) Judge (Louis) Burkhard."

Bosque Farms Mayor Wayne Ake pointed out that, just because they would be adding an officer and area, it didn't necessarily increase the village's budget.

Stidham agreed. "We received $30,000 from the Legislature for a new unit just on the possibility that we would be covering Peralta," he said. "I can only imagine the possibilities if we sign this JPA (joint powers agreement) and are doing the job."

He went on to say that, with the increased coverage area and by working jointly with Peralta, they might be able to secure funding for such items as a small mobile command unit. "Things like our traffic safety grants will increase, which pays the overtime needed for our officers to be in court," he said.

Bosque Farms Village Councilor Bob Knowlton said that he was concerned about the equity in coverage between the two areas. "Are you going to cover Peralta like you now cover Bosque Farms?

"Because if you do, I'm going to have people knocking on my door saying that they only pay $85,000 for coverage, why doesn't my coverage only cost $85,000?'" he said. "If they have the same coverage as we do, then we won't have the same coverage here."

Stidham was quick to assure the councilor that taking on Peralta would not diminish the quality of coverage in Bosque Farms. "I won't allow that to happen under any circumstances," he said. "I have been here five years, and I have worked too hard to let things regress."

He went on to give an example of how the patrols of Peralta would be incorporated into the existing routes. "Let's say we patrol the four square miles that is Bosque Farms 50 times a night," he said. "We might patrol Peralta 10 times and Bosque Farms 40 times."

Mayor Olguin added that he did not expect the same coverage as Bosque Farms. "We just want a presence in the area," he said, with murmurs of assent from the councilors. "You won't have anyone coming here saying we're not getting our fair share. I don't think we need an hour-by-hour accounting; I trust Chief Stidham and the council."

Jarmie suggested that the section that caused Olguin concern be amended to read that the Bosque Farms Police Department would provide daily law enforcement to Peralta as resources permit and law enforcement needs of both communities require.

Both governing bodies and the chief agreed that would allow for the flexibility to cover both areas with the understanding that some calls would have priority over others.

"Say there's a gas skip in Bosque Farms and an armed robbery in Peralta," Stidham said. "You don't have to guess where we'll send our officers. We handle calls on a priority basis already."

The agreement also specifies that the police department personnel are under the authority of the Village of Bosque Farms, but it welcomes the comments and suggestions of Peralta.

The councilors and mayors were emphatic about keeping the lines of communication open between the neighboring municipalities. "If there is a problem, tell us," Proctor said. "Otherwise, we'll go along thinking everything is fine."

Since this was only a workshop, no final action was taken regarding the agreement. It will come before both councils for final approval beginning with Peralta on Wednesday, June 11, at 7 p.m. The Peralta council meets at the Peralta Elementary School.

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