Population and increasing service calls prompts new deputies for Eddy County Sheriff

Increased population, calls for service and going over budget prompted approval of six new deputies for the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office Jan. 18.

Eddy County Sheriff Mark Cage originally asked for four new deputies during the Eddy County Board of County Commissioners meeting as part of a plan to hire 12 new deputies during in the next four years.

Commissioners approved six new hires at a cost $142,000 for the remaining six months of the 2022 fiscal year. The annual cost of the positions was $370,000, read an Eddy County Commission document.

The 2022 fiscal year runs end June 30, per Eddy County statutes, starting July 1 of last year.

“I think this is a pretty modest request right now for four deputies. We’re going to reevaluate, and I have no doubt we will be coming in the next few years requesting another set and right now this is the bare minimum of what we can probably utilize,” Cage said.

He cited an increase in Eddy County’s population based on 2020 U.S. Census figures as a catalyst for new patrol officers.

Census data noted Eddy County’s population growth from 53,829 residents in 2010 to 62,314 in 2020.

More:Population growth changes boundaries of north Eddy County Commission district

“The Sheriff’s Office has been tasked with the public safety and has had to restructure to keep up with this growth,” Cage wrote in a memo to commissioners.

He said formation of a traffic division and a violent crime suppression unit (VCSU) arose from needs to address specific problems.

“I can’t afford to get of my VCSU, they make to much of a difference,” Cage said during the meeting.

According to Sheriff’s Office data, deputies responded to 35, 092 emergency calls in 2019. Calls dropped to 30,491 in 2020 and 2021 had an estimated 32,236 emergency calls.

Cage said additional security would be needed at the Eddy County Courthouse with a future arrival of a new judge for the Fifth Judicial District.

“I will be forced to assign more security assets to the Courthouse,” he wrote.

More:Impending Court House remodel sparks debate for new judicial complex in Eddy County

New Mexico State law required sheriff's offices to provide security for district courts. 

Per Eddy County budget figures, the Sheriff’s Office went over $7,500 of their overall $764,000 budget during the 2020 fiscal year. Cage said that was due to large number of vacancies, meaning more overtime pay. 

The Sheriff’s Office spent $663,000 of its $845,000 budget for fiscal year 2021.

More:Federal jury convicts two men in 2019 Eddy County felony carjacking, fails to convict a third

During the current fiscal year, figures noted the Sheriff’s Office used $468,000 of its budgeted amount of $710,000.

Cage estimated his office has around 34 percent of the budget left to spend when the fiscal year ends June 30, 2022.

“A huge priority of mine is making sure you guys have what you need. I don’t want people being overworked and it leads to other problems down the road,” said District 5 County Commissioner Sarah Cordova.

“You have my support 100 percent. It’s all about safety and more people on the street. It’s about keeping everyone safe,” she said.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.