Police chief candidate has friends in high places.
Mayor David Coss is expected to announce his pick for police chief at the April 26 City Council meeting. He'll make his selection from a pool of nine candidates-including seven members of the Santa Fe Police Department-who have applied for the job.
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The position is technically apolitical but that doesn't mean candidates haven't done a little politicking. The stature of Sgt. Jerry Trujillo in particular has risen, thanks in part to numerous letters of support sent by local luminaries to Coss on his behalf.
Trujillo is a member of the SFPD crime-prevention unit and president of the Santa Fe Police Officers Association. Among those who have sung his praises are State Rep. Lucky Varela, D-Santa Fe; State Rep. Jim Trujillo, D-Santa Fe; and Peter Komis, a commercial property owner and president of the Don Gaspar Neighborhood Association.
"I think he's as qualified as anyone," Rep. Jim Trujillo (no relation) says. "I think he has the background and he knows the community. He's lived here all his life."
Trujillo has strong support throughout the justice system as well. State Supreme Court Justice Patricio Serna, Magistrate Court Judge Richard "Buzzy" Padilla and Court of Appeals Judge James Wechsler also were among those who wrote letters supporting Trujillo.
Trujillo's support from the judicial branch raises issues about the impartiality of judges making de facto endorsements. State regulations forbid judges to lend the prestige of their position to advance the private interest of others but, according to a 1990 Judicial Advisory Committee opinion written by District Judge Frank H Allen, Jr., recommendations made by judges are only disciplined "in the most blatant type of situation" where a judge stands to gain influence or benefits from his or her recommendation.
Neither Serna nor Padilla returned phone calls. Wechsler's paralegal, Onnie Wootton, told SFR the judge regrettably declined to comment on the matter; Wechsler is chairman of the state's Advisory Committee on the Code of Judicial Conduct.
The litany of recommendations written by the judges and others has had an undeniable impact on Trujillo's candidacy. Trujillo himself attributes the deluge of accolades to his consistent presence in the community he serves.
"I am a lifelong resident of Santa Fe, and being so, I'm involved in all areas of the community," he says. "People, from the ordinary citizen to different organizations, know me and have confidence in me."
Trujillo isn't the only candidate with substantial support either. SFPD colleagues like deputy chiefs Eric Johnson and Raye Byford-currently interim chief-have strong backing.
Mary Chavez, former chairwoman of the Santa Fe Crimestoppers program and current chairwoman of the Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families, says that she wrote letters of recommendation for both Trujillo and Johnson.
"I wrote the letters not to necessarily endorse them," Chavez says, "but to tell [Coss] that they were good moral characters, had very strong ethics and that I highly recommended them for the position."
Says Johnson, a 19-year veteran of the force: "For one thing, I was born and raised here. I think I'm pretty well known in the community too. I've been really active in various organizations, and being the department's public information officer, I've represented the department as well."
Coss says he has received more letters of support for Trujillo than any other candidate but is quick to caution that recommendations are only one part of the selection process. Coss will be interviewing candidates this week before announcing his final decision.
"I'm looking at the letters," Coss says. "I'm looking at education, experience and the job application, but the most important thing is the interview process."
