sa国际传媒官网网页入口

After spending $55,000 on a national search and months of taking input from the community and public officials, the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Police Department announced its next chief.

Mayor Tim Keller said Cecily Barker, a former deputy chief with over 20 years of law enforcement experience, will be the first woman chosen to lead the department on a permanent basis. Barker has served as the APD鈥檚 interim chief since Harold Medina鈥檚 retirement in late December.

鈥淲e all want a safer sa国际传媒官网网页入口,鈥� Barker said during a news conference Tuesday. 鈥淢oving forward, we are building on that shared goal. We will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards, strengthen trust with the community and stay focused on results.鈥�

Barker will oversee a department of more than 950 sworn officers 鈥� New Mexico鈥檚 largest law enforcement agency. Barker said while she was honored to be the first female police chief, she doesn鈥檛 want to only be remembered for the historical accomplishment. 

鈥淚 want people to recognize that females can be chiefs,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be the last.鈥�

Born and raised in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, Barker said she cares deeply about the Duke City.

Keller said he wanted the next APD chief to be accessible, accountable and to have 鈥淣ew Mexico experience鈥� during an early March forum. Over 1,000 sa国际传媒官网网页入口 residents reached out through various platforms to voice their top priorities for the chief, which included ethical leadership, community-centered policing and improved responsiveness to calls for service.

The city of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 in January hired an outside firm, Public Sector Search & Consulting Inc., to assist in the selection process. The maximum contract was for $100,000, but only $55,000 was spent, according to city spokesperson Dan Mayfield.

Keller also announced Raul Bujanda 鈥� who recently retired as the special agent in charge of the FBI鈥檚 sa国际传媒官网网页入口 office 鈥� would be appointed as public safety executive director.

The role hadn鈥檛 existed previously, although Darren White 鈥� a longtime figure in local law enforcement 鈥� held a similarly titled position in 2009 under Mayor Richard Berry.

鈥淚鈥檓 bringing energy, urgency and a collaborative mindset to this role because a single department can鈥檛 do this alone,鈥� Bujanda said. 鈥淢y promise to you is simple: I will listen, I will be present and I will work every day to earn your trust.鈥�

Bujanda will be in charge of overseeing APD, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Fire Rescue and the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Community Safety department. The head of each department, including Barker, will report to Bujanda.

The role was created primarily to bridge the gap between the three departments, according to APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos. 

鈥淭he public safety position is important, especially given the success and the importance of the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Community Safety department,鈥� Gallegos said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e turned the corner on crime, but the mayor heard from people during the election that we have more work to do. People want to feel safe in the community, so obviously, the mayor is keeping public safety as the top priority.鈥�

As head of the FBI in New Mexico, Bujanda led the agency during federal investigations into a corruption scandal, in which defense attorneys and officers with APD and other local law enforcement conspired to illegally dismiss DWI charges in exchange for bribes.

Bujanda said the DWI scandal allowed the department to remove the few officers causing "a negative" impact, adding that the vast majority of the force is "doing the right thing every single day."

Barker said one of her goals as chief is to move APD forward using the standards created through a yearslong settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice after the DOJ found in 2014 that officers had displayed a pattern and practice of excessive force.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really trying to balance providing resources and working with ACS and our other city departments to make sure that people know what鈥檚 available to them but also the safety of the city,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen we see open-air drug use, for example, that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e really focusing on as far as crime.鈥�

Both Barker and Bujanda will have to go through an official confirmation process with the City Council. Their salaries have not been finalized and are still under negotiation.

Barker has officially begun her role as police chief, but Bujanda will not begin as public safety executive director until April 4, according to Gallegos. A Tuesday news release states he will report to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel.

Keller said he had been considering creating the public safety executive director position since the beginning of his first term but was never able to find the right person for the role until now. He said he believed the role needed to be filled by someone who had law enforcement experience but was not from APD.

As for the new APD chief, Medina in the past expressed hope that Barker would be his successor. He was her sergeant when Barker joined the department, though she said she plans to take a different approach to managing her staff.

鈥淗e did great things, but I will tell you that my leadership style is different than his,鈥� Barker said. 鈥淚 think he had really big shoes to fill, but I have my own shoes鈥� I鈥檓 not Harold and I鈥檓 here to do what鈥檚 right for this police department at this time.鈥� 

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.