Corrections Dept. wants $4.2M for radios

State agency says hefty request is a matter of safety for officers

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Corrections Department has struggled in recent years with chronic understaffing, which some corrections officers have attributed to low pay and high turnover.

But the agency, which oversees six state-run prisons, is prioritizing money for handheld radios in its budget request for next year.

The Corrections Department is asking lawmakers to appropriate nearly $4.2 million for radio purchases, maintenance and associated fees, a sum that represents nearly two-thirds of the agency’s total request — of $6.6 million — for the budget year that starts in July 2018.

A department spokesman said 1,700 radios are currently issued to corrections officers, parole officers and other agency employees, and called the budget request vital for ensuring their safety.

“These radios are of utmost importance to our correctional officers, who depend on them on a minute-to-minute basis to perform their duties while ensuring our prison facilities are operated safely,” agency spokesman S.U. Mahesh told the Journal.

Miles Conway, a state spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, which represents corrections officers, acknowledged Tuesday that questions have been raised about the cost of the radios.

He said some prison officers have complained about their radios not working while transporting inmates outside prison grounds, while others have experienced recurring battery problems.

“No question, we need radios,” Conway said. “It’s absolutely an essential tool.”

The Corrections Department also requested a hefty budget increase for radio-related expenses for the current fiscal year, but lawmakers ultimately provided only a fraction of the money requested and instead suggested the agency attempt to renegotiate its fee structure with the state Department of Information Technology.

This year’s budget request comes as state agencies are vying for a relatively small amount of available state funding. Lawmakers will enter the 30-day legislative session in January with just $25 million in projected “new” money, according to the most recent revenue estimates.

Meanwhile, the Corrections Department’s budget request would also provide money to address staff vacancy levels — currently at 22 percent statewide — and an increase in health insurance premiums. But the dollar amounts for those expenses would, combined, total less than the amount for the radios.