District officials say the Village of Hatch has struggled to retain officers, prompting discussion of school-employed security personnel and potential cooperation with the Sheriff's Office

Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News

HATCH - Hatch Valley Public Schools officials are considering alternatives for providing armed security on campus as staffing shortages at the Village of Hatch Police Department continue to complicate efforts to secure a school resource officer.

The issue surfaced Wednesday, Oct. 14, during a Hatch Valley Board of Education meeting, when Board President Chris Montez questioned whether the district should wait until after the November election to pursue a new arrangement with the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, currently led by Sheriff Kim Stewart.

Hatch Valley Public Schools Superintendent Fred Montalvo said the district traditionally has partnered with the Village of Hatch to provide a school resource officer, with the two entities sharing the cost. But the village has struggled to hire and retain police officers, leaving the district searching for a workable solution.

"That is exactly why I asked you. Yes, we do have an outgoing sheriff that wasn't too supportive, but our main concern is student safety. That is the bottom line," Montez said.

Montalvo told trustees that, earlier that same afternoon, he learned of a potential candidate interested in working in Hatch as both a school resource officer and a coach. The individual reportedly has previous experience in school-based law enforcement.

District officials intend to explore whether the candidate could work with the village police department, with any coaching duties considered secondary to the security position.

Montalvo emphasized that the village's police chief remains interested in providing an officer to the schools, but staffing shortages have complicated that effort.

"That's the ideal situation," Montalvo said. "He does want to provide us one, but they can't even stay fully staffed themselves."

District-employed security among alternatives

Montalvo also raised the possibility of hiring an armed security employee directly, rather than relying on a police officer assigned through an outside law enforcement agency.

Such an arrangement would require the district to examine its policies, personnel qualifications and financing. Montalvo said some New Mexico school districts employ security personnel through arrangements involving local law enforcement agencies, although he stressed that a district-employed security officer would not necessarily have the same status as a certified police officer.

"Now they're not an officer, but it's armed security," Montalvo said. "That's a whole different situation because then you got to change policy."

Montez asked the administration to investigate the training requirements for armed security personnel and how their qualifications would compare with those of certified police officers.

Trustees also discussed the possibility of approaching the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office about providing school security. Montalvo said securing such a commitment had been difficult in his previous experience but agreed to make inquiries.

The discussion included the upcoming sheriff's election, with trustees expressing interest in whether a change in leadership might open the door to a different arrangement. No agreement with the Sheriff's Office was announced.

Financing remains another unresolved question. Montalvo said the district's traditional arrangement with the village involved splitting the school resource officer's salary, while hiring its own security personnel could require the district to assume a greater share of the cost.

The board did not approve any new security position, contract or funding during Wednesday's meeting. Instead, members asked the administration to gather more information about possible staffing arrangements, training requirements and costs.

The discussion occurred under the meeting's agenda item for future business. No specific school security proposal or contract was listed for action on the board's published agenda.

Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.