The City of Santa Fe Quality of Life Committee Aug. 7 voted against an amendment to a request from the Santa Fe Police Department to spend $1.1 million for three specialized vehicles that would’ve lowered the number of armored vehicles purchased from two to one.
The proposed spending forms part of one-time investments that Mayor Alan Webber announced in May during the annual State of City address. $1.3 million in total would go to the police department for the vehicle purchases and repairs to the SFPD headquarters.
District 1 City Councilor Alma Castro, who voted against the request during the Public Works & Utilities Committee earlier this week, proposed the amendment, saying the money in the request for the second vehicle could go to SFPD for other purposes such as increasing foot patrol. District 2 Councilor Michael Garcia seconded the motion.
Garcia then inquired about the condition of the current vehicle, suggesting if officers kept the vehicle and purchased another, they would have two as proposed in their request.
“Is the current vehicle still usable?” he asked. “I want to make sure we’re protecting you. One of my biggest concerns is how do we provide all of our officers all the tools they need to ensure they’ll be going home at the end of the day.”
SFPD Chief Paul Joye told councilors “we’re as close to end of life with this thing as we can be,” regarding the current Bearcat armored vehicle which officials have had since 2006.
Furthermore, he added purchasing two new vehicles would better protect all officers performing the operations, noting right now with only one, those at the back of a property do not have the same level of protection as those in the front with the armored vehicle that can withstand both pistol and rifle rounds if needed.
District 3 Councilor Pilar Faulkner asked what would happen to law enforcement in the rear of a house with no armored vehicle to shield them. Sgt. Javier Vigil, the current SWAT commander for SFPD, replied that officers would “do the best they can for lack of better words” in that situation.
“Worst case scenario they have to use their patrol vehicles,” Vigil said, however, “everything else in our fleet outside of the armored vehicle at best can stop pistol rounds. They’re pretty much back there unprotected.”
Without the equipment, he added, officers are more likely to be in a position “where they have to return fire or use deadly force.” The Southside councilor said she trusted law enforcement’s expertise.
“We constantly turn to staff and say, ‘Tell us what you need,’” Faulkner said. “You are clearly telling us what you need, and you’ve given us evidence that this is a request that is not beyond the pale and will protect as many people as you possibly can.”
Ultimately, the amendment failed in a 2-2 vote. Castro and Garcia voted in favor, while Faulkner and District 4 Councilor Amanda Chavez voted against it. District 4 Councilor Jamie Cassutt, the committee chair, was excused.
The budget adjustment resolution advanced to the Finance Committee—scheduled for Aug. 12—in a 3-1 vote. Castro was the sole vote against the request by the end of debate.
“I feel it’s important to listen to our community and the concerns they have about police militarization,” Castro said.
While Garcia voted in favor, he requested that information regarding the SWAT team’s policies and procedures be provided to the governing body and the general public to understand better before a final vote.
“It’s not been misused here in the City of Santa Fe, but there are other communities across the country where folks feel it has been misused and intimidating, and I don’t want any members of the public to have that impression,” he said. “The job is to protect and save lives, and I want to make sure residents fully understand that. It can be quite scary when you see one of these vehicles.”
Advocate groups continue to push against the purchases. Jo Christian, a member of Northern NM Showing Up for Racial Justice, tells SFR she’s “very opposed” to the spending which she feels creates “the feeling we are in a war zone in our own community.” Furthermore, she noted the city’s own Community Health and Safety Task Force report recommended ensuring “the non-militarization of the Santa Fe Police Department through oversight by the city manager and/or governing body of military style equipment and vehicles purchased or received through grants.”
Webber and former city councilors Renee Villarreal and Chris Rivera sponsored a resolution creating the task force in August 2020 following George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis Police. Christian questioned why city officials made the task force in the first place if they didn’t plan to use it to reform policing in Santa Fe.
“These are people with a lot of expertise and distinct perspectives and then the city doesn’t listen to them,” she said. “When I walk into a situation and see police in riot gear and armored vehicles, I don’t feel like they are there to protect me. I’m supposedly the people they protect and I never feel safe in those situations, and I know people from more vulnerable communities than me definitely don’t feel safe. So why does one person’s safety override anyone else’s?”
Law enforcement pushed back on that notion during the committee meeting when questioned by Castro. Vigil said this was not military equipment, noting he has a background in the United States Marine Corps.
“The company Lenco manufactures the vehicles in this request specifically for police usage,” he said. “Your armored vehicles in the military have more of an offensive purpose behind them. They have large weaponry on top and minesweepers. This vehicle we use purely for defensive purposes and communication purposes for our crisis negotiation team.”