Taos County Sheriff

Steve Miera

Age:

50

Occupation: Taos County Sheriff’s Office, undersheriff; Questa Police Department, former officer; Picuris Tribal Police Department, former officer; New Mexico Department of Public Safety, former officer Education: Taos High School, graduate; New Mexico Department of Public Safety Training Academy, graduate; New Mexico Department of Public Safety Instructor Certification, recipient; Federal Law Enforcement Instructor Certification Course, graduate

Political experience: None

Political party: Democrat

Charged or convicted of a crime (more serious than a traffic ticket): No Social media or website: teve Miera has worked in law enforcement for 30 years and spent 20 of those with the Taos County Sheriff’s office. Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe promoted Miera to undersheriff when he took office in 2015, and Miera has held the job ever since, playing a critical support role to Hogrefe and overseeing the office in Hogrefe’s absence.

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“The reason I’m running is because I want to continue to serve my community,” he said, noting programs that started under his watch like the Senior

Safe firewood delivery program.

Miera’s experience already leading the sheriff’s office has formed the crux of his campaign message, which he has delivered while still serving in his position. Although it is customary for political candidates to take a month off prior to an election, Miera has said he has stayed on in his role due to the office’s ongoing need to assist with the nearby Calf Canyon–Hermits Peak Fire, which crossed into Taos County earlier this month. “When it comes to the fire itself in my community, I’m the undersheriff first. My community comes first before my candidacy,” he said.

Miera was born and raised in Taos. After graduating from Taos High School in 1989, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he was promoted to lance corporal and was honorably discharged in 1998.

From there, he went on to work for Questa Police Department, Picuris Tribal Police Department, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and Taos County Sheriff’s Office, where he has worked since 2003.

As Hogrefe’s undersheriff, Miera has said that he believes in the current direction of the sheriff’s office, including its emphasis on special operations by its SWAT-modeled Special Response Team and new training initiatives, including those that helps officers to handle people in the midst of mental health crises without resorting to violence. He said added training has helped the office to mitigate “a lot of lethal force situations.”

He said this type of training also helps deputies to advance in their careers.

“I’ve expanded and I’ve help make the sheriff’s office into an agency where there are avenues for the deputies to explore and progress with their professional development.”

He recognizes the growing need to secure funding to hire on more deputies, which would be one of his top priorities. “Our department should have 100 deputies,” he said, but acknowledged that may not be economically feasible. “But what I think is financially achievable — in small bites — is having two deputies per commissioner’s district per shift, which is 40 deputies.” Miera said the department is also working to offer more competitive pay.

“I believe in the last seven years, serving as your undersheriff, I’ve shown you who I am,” Miera said during a forum hosted by the Taos News on May 5. “I’ve shown you what I’m capable of. And I’ve shown you the content of my character. So I would hope that in those seven years, I would have earned your support. We will move forward.”

Overall, he said his vision is to help the Taos County Sheriff’s Office “be recognized regionally as a credible, professional, and reputable agency.”