A village without police
Taos County Sheriff’s Office may fill void
The village of Questa hasn’t had a police chief since mid-March or police officers for more than a month.
With no police patrolling the streets, the village of Questa looks to the Taos County Sheriff’s Office to help fill the public safety gap in the small town north of Taos.
All three officers at the Questa
Police Department resigned in May after Chief Nicolas Lamendola handed in his resignation to the village in March for unknown reasons. On Wednesday (June 17), only the name of the office manager appeared on the website.
“We still have our Questa Police Department open but all the positions are vacant,” said Questa Mayor Mark Gallegos, who declined to give any more details about the exit of all staff within a few months of one another. He said that information is part of a personnel matter.
Gallegos said the village will be looking for new officers once the 2020-21 fiscal year budget is approved.
“Before we can start trying to recruit for a chief, we have to make sure we have a budget that makes sense,” said Gallegos, who also a Taos County Commissioner.
In the meantime, Questa is in contact with the Taos County Sheriff’s Office to discuss a contract to provide law enforcement in the area for the foreseeable future.
Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe confirmed in a May 29 email to Taos News that the sheriff’s office was indeed in conversations with Questa about the situation.
“I think this will be a good fit for TCSO and the village because we are already responsible for calls outside of and surrounding the municipal limits of Questa anyway,” Hogrefe said.
The agreement would provide 24-hour law enforcement coverage for the village from the sheriff’s deputies. Hogrefe said there would be no specific number of deputies stationed in Questa. He said previously that the arrangement could last as long as two years.
The agreement hadn’t been executed as of press time Wednesday (June 17) and its details were still being worked out, but Hogrefe said negotiations were going well. This would be the first long-term agreement in Taos County for law enforcement coverage with a municipality, according to Hogrefe.
Lamendola was hired in Questa in 2015 after being dismissed from the Taos County Sheriff’s Office after nearly eight years.
A 2017 Taos News article states Lamendola filed suit against the sheriff’s office for wrongful termination after he was dismissed in 2015 following a positive test for steroid use. At the time, Lamendola said he had been prescribed the drugs for an unspecified medical condition.
The lawsuit was filed for removal to federal court.
Though the officers under Lamendola did not give reason for their resignation from Questa, Gallegos said he could attribute their departure to a lack of competitive pay and being overworked at the department without a chief.
Questa has three spots available for their police department with one of those being reserved for the chief. Gallegos said it realistically might take six officers in the department to have adequate shift times and changes.
Hogrefe remains optimistic about the possible partnership, but Gallegos declined to comment regarding any contract in the works.
“I am excited to bring this partnership together,” Hogrefe said. “There are lots of good folks in Questa that we will provide services for and that are in support of this endeavor.”
Lamendola could not be reached for comment.