Abigail Salas:
Can you tell us about how your background has prepared you to serve as sheriff?
Ricardo Segovia:
I do have 44 years of law enforcement experience. I have 22 1/2 years of law enforcement with the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department. I've since retired. During this time, I was a patrol officer, a school resource officer, a medical patrol officer. drug awareness, resistance, education training officer, criminal investigator, 14 years, Sergeant of Patrol Metro Narcotics for four years, Sergeant of security at the New Mexico Judicial Complex. Seven years of law enforcement experience with US customs as an agent at the port of entrance on San Teresa and one year of law enforcement experience at West End Missile Range as a patrol officer and an Academy instructor. I also did 14 years of law enforcement experience with federal protective services. That firm provides security to all federal buildings and staff within the state of New Mexico.
Abigail Salas:
And why are you running for sheriff?
Ricardo Segovia:
This aspiration, I've had it for 12 years, but I haven't committed because of my responsibilities to my family. My two daughters, I wanted to make sure they were good after they left college. But it is time now. It's been a profound conviction for me from the good Lord up above. That I should run for sheriffs because of my experience and my personal belief in what it is that a Sheriff's Department should be. I attribute this conviction to my daily heartful service I provided to the residents of Doña Ana County when I worked for the Sheriff's Department. My forte was criminal investigations. I believe in my heart that if elected the sheriff, no questions asked of me from the general public or anybody. regarding the sheriff's department will be left unanswered.
Abigail Salas:
What are the top issues in the county and how would you successfully address those issues?
Ricardo Segovia:
Well, I'll be very honest with you. I retired in 2004. I started in 1982. So, it was a long journey, but what I saw then is what I still see now. And basically, based on statistics from the sheriff's department, and the NCIC national database, we still have problems with larceny, theft, illegal drugs, domestic violence, public health, and mental health issues within a police department. But it is apparently obvious that any police department should have a wellness, a mental health wellness program to assist all personnel and all staff that work for that department. The Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department does. I would improve the county's provision of mental health issues for the staff by hiring more well-qualified mental health experts. It's really about constantly reminding those that you work with, patrol and staff, that we do have a program, the sheriff's department, that will help anybody when it has to do with mental health issues. As far as the growth in population and size within the county, it is evident that we must maintain the services as the population increases and the areas that we have to cover are more populated in home.
Abigail Salas:
Technology is rapidly advancing the footprint of law enforcement. What technology that exists now in DASO would you expand upon, and what new areas would you develop?
Ricardo Segovia:
The county is a vast land mass and it's huge. I think we're third in New Mexico as far as the biggest county and it's very, it's not populated like Las Cruces. It's densely populated. You gotta travel, you know. so many miles to answer calls. So, there's been talk about drone operations, but trust me, I don't think drones are gonna help us very much. We do have currently with the sheriff's department a system called nibbing, N-I-B-I-N. And what that technology has to do is the study of forensics regarding ballistics, anything that has to do with ballistics, and it's run by ATF. and they enter the data into an ATF system which any officer, you know, legal certified officer, whether it's federal, state or county can solicit this information if they have a case they need to investigate. As far as improving technology, I would follow with what professionals, engineers that develop equipment to better provide services to the general public of the county as far as technology, whether it's electronic, whether it's imaging, whether it's cameras that we carry now, the sheriff's department, if they're advanced, we need to stay updated with that provision to maintain the camera so they can record what is going on for court proceeding. For protection of the officer and protection of the general public and integrity.
Abigail Salas:
The training budget for DASO is about $100,000 a year. Would you expand or contract it and why?
Ricardo Segovia:
I did some research and it's information that is free to the public. The county's budget right now is 32 million according to the public records. 28 million of that budget is used strictly for law enforcement personnel rank starting from the undersheriff all the way to a patrol officer. And it's for training to develop patrol officer efficiency, and then it's for training for investigators, training for the DARE program, et cetera. All this budget, the 28 million is strictly for law enforcement. The other 4 million is strictly for staff for personnel that do the typing, that do the transcription of tapes, et cetera.
Abigail Salas:
What role in budget preparation, presentation, and monitoring do you see yourself in at DASO?
Ricardo Segovia:
Well, based on my philosophy of how things may work, I would work directly on a weekly basis with the command staff, starting from the underserved down to the patrol officers to find out, because they are the eyes and ears that see the civilian, living in the county to include the city of Las Cruces, Mesilla, Southern Park, Hatch, Rincon, NMSU, Chaparral. They're the ones that see what it is that is going on with the needs of the services that need to be provided. And we would discuss and we would then present to the county commission our feelings and expressions as to the need for more manpower and more staff and more equipment. Obviously, things develop every day, every year. Technology advances also, so we must try to do our hardest to get exactly what we need as far as technology to provide the services to the general public that they deserve.
Abigail Salas:
What else do you think is important for voters to know about your campaign?
Ricardo Segovia:
If elected, I am the person that is going to guide the sheriff's department. And that being said, I need to do everything I can to maintain the communication between the general public and law enforcement. I will highlight that more so than anything. Because it is the public, if we see it as law enforcement officers, that are telling us exactly what we need. And we as law enforcement officers must listen to the public and report to your command staff, the sheriff, the police chief, the state police chief, and tell them exactly what it is that's going on and have them assist us in trying to get all the equipment all the technology that we need to provide the services to the general public.
