County sheriff candidate David Black seeks community's vote for June 5 election

ALAMOGORDO – Alamogordo native David Black is asking for the community’s vote for the June 5 primary election to elect him as the next Otero County Sheriff.

The Otero County Sheriff's Office race is between Black, Steve Odom, Rod Saint and Bill Garza. 

Black, a lifelong Republican, has served Otero County as a law enforcement officer for 24 years. He has worked 16 years with the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety and the last eight years with the Village of Cloudcroft Police Department.

Black is a graduate of Alamogordo High School, class of 1980, and began working in the construction industry shortly afterwards.

During his 24-year career in law enforcement, Black served as a patrol officer, field training officer, school resource officer, training coordinator, crime scene investigations instructor, detective and a member of the Emergency Response Team.

In 2005, Black was a nominee for the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for all agencies within the 12th Judicial District. Throughout his career, he received two Directors Commendation Awards, one Honorable Service Award, 12 Grand Cordon Awards and three Exceptional Duty Awards.

“I think you need to know the county. I’ve worked in Alamogordo, in the basin and I’ve worked the past eight years in Cloudcroft,” Black said. “I know the mountain community and the basin community. I have family and friends in Tularosa. I’ve been to Chaparral and learned about that community, there’s a lot more down there than people think.”

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Black said he is a proud New Mexican and wanted to run for sheriff to keep Otero County safe.

“I want to keep Otero County safe. I have invested interest in Otero County because I was born and raised here,” Black said. “My family was raised here and my grandkids will be raised here. I want to look at the future and provide a safe place to raise families.”

He said he was interested in law enforcement when he first started doing ride-alongs almost two decades ago and never looked back.

“When I first started out, I was doing ride-alongs with some of the officers that I knew in the department and I had an interest for it then. I started thinking about a career after that,” Black said. “After being there a couple years I knew it was a little different. It was about helping people. That’s what kept me in law enforcement. It’s not just writing tickets and arresting people, it’s making a difference in people’s lives.”

If elected, he said he would like to address a couple issues facing the Otero County Sheriff’s Office.

“One of the first things I would like to address is rules and regulations within the department. They are really outdated, some of them are 20 years old,” Black said. “Things that are happening today, there are no rules and regs that address those issues. They need to be updated so that everyone knows their role within the Sheriff’s Department and we have a level playing field for everybody where there’s accountability.”

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He said he would also like to bring back the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program to receive funds to help local law enforcement agencies.

“Right now, we don’t have any HIDTA money. The current administration has decided not to take that money. So, we got two guys trying to enforce the drug activity in Otero County,” Black said. “I would like to take HIDTA funds, get that grant and put together a drug task force which would include the Otero County Sheriff’s Office, APD, Border Patrol, New Mexico State Police and we could even include the Tularosa Police Department and Cloudcroft Police Department if they have people who want to be in this task force.”

He said he would also like to include Lincoln County because the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office prosecutes both Otero and Lincoln counties.

“I would like to see Otero and Lincoln county work together to give the DA a good task force in both jurisdictions,” Black said. “The DA’s office recently lost one DA position and one paralegal position because HIDTA money has run out and there’s a possibility that they’re going to lose another position because of the lack of funds from that HIDTA money. If I can get that money back hopefully I can get those DA’s back on staff and a paralegal to help them.”

On the issue of the public safety answering point (PSAP), Black said he has researched and educated himself by touring PSAPs in the state.

“When I first started, I knew about it. I went over to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia and the one in Dona Ana County and toured them. I wanted to see one that’s in working order right now,” Black said. “I’ve been educating myself and I know there’s an excellent training program in Dona Ana. For the citizens of Otero County, right now they’re paying a tax for this service but they’re getting nothing for their money. I think it’s also a safety issue. The communication in some parts of the county is terrible. PSAP needs to happen to make communication better between all the agencies in the county.”

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Black said if elected as sheriff, his undersheriff would be Otero County Sheriff’s Office deputy Sean Jett.

Jett, who has 16 years’ experience in Otero County law enforcement, is also a military veteran.

“All his experience has been in Otero County. We’re both familiar with multiple diverse cultures within this county from Mescalero to Holloman Air Force Base,” Black said. “Jett is also a certified police officer. I think it’s very important if you’re sheriff, that you are certified. Jett is honest and forward. He’s just a top-notch guy. He is certified in so many things, he teaches all around the state on a lot of topics. He’s so intelligent and knowledgeable, whoever is sheriff they need a second in command like that.”

Black is happily married to his wife Lorrie and currently resides in High Rolls. They have two children, Chance, 32, and Chelsie, 29. The couple have five grandchildren.

For more information on Black’s candidacy, visit his website at www.DavidBlackforSheriff.com or visit his Facebook page, www.facebook.com/davidblackforsheriff/