Mike Eby Luna County Sheriff

Norman R. Wheeler, candidate for District Attorney for the Sixth Judicial District of New Mexico has received the full endorsement of the following:

Silver City Police Officer's Association
Mike Eby Luna County Sheriff
Sheriff Billy Merrifield
Emily Dewhurst, a Deputy District Attorney
Kyle Spurgeon, a Silver City Police Officer
Grant County Sheriff's Office & related offices of AFSCME Local 2516

The elected position of District Attorney has specific duties as defined by New Mexico statute 36-1-18 that Norman R. Wheeler will uphold and execute. The position of the District Attorney is not to be a "Counselor" or "peacemaker" using a variety of psychotherapy methods and techniques to help people experiencing psychological distress rather it is the duty of the District Attorney to prosecute cases in the role of a "peacekeeper" while protecting the rights of the accused with a priority to protect the safety of the citizens and community in which the District Attorney was elected to serve.

DISCLAIMER: The Committee to Elect Wheeler4DA and Norman Wheeler want to be very clear, WE ARE NOT disparaging the hard-working prosecutors, investigators, legal assistances or victim advocates employed at the Sixth Judicial District Attorney's Office who we pray will work for Norm Wheeler in the new year! We do, however, take issue with District Attorney Renteria because he leads the District Attorney's office and "Leadership is pivotal in creating an organizational culture. Leaders mindfully guide the development of culture by setting the vision, emotional tone, and behavioral norms for their organizations. They empower employees for success by ensuring alignment between cultural values and the employee experience." Excerpted from Business Leadership Today

Posted by: The Committee to Elect Wheeler4DA

We want to wish every single one of you a Very Safe and Happy 4th of July. As you celebrate please remember that your safety and the safety of your friends, family, and fellow citizens is very important. Please plan ahead and have a designated driver available. As always our amazing group of deputies will be out protecting and keeping our wonderful county safe. Please celebrate safely and have a very Happy 4th of July!!! Thank you to our military for protecting our country and our freedom and THANK YOU to all our Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, and Dispatchers for doing what you do to keep our county and citizens safe not just today but everyday!!!

Mike Eby
Jimmy Garcia
Clark Smith
Luna County Sheriffs Office

" Celebrate Endings--- For They Precede New Beginnings."

Laura Garcia dedicated 25 years to Luna County and we were lucky to have her. The dedication, work ethic, and respect that she poured in to all she did is unmeasurable. We as a department are beyond grateful for all the work she has done and is still doing for the Sheriffs Dept. She is and always will be a great asset to the department and to the county. We started out as coworkers and ended up family. We are thankful, blessed, and proud of her and we wish her all the best in whatever her future holds! Congratulations on your retirement!!!

Also thank you to my staff that set up, cooked, and cleaned up for her retirement lunch, you all are amazing!! Thank you to the friends, family, and coworkers that joined us to help us celebrate!!

Mike Eby
Jimmy Garcia
Clark Smith
Luna County Sheriffs Office

The job of a dispatcher is not an easy one.... it takes dedication, strength, courage, sympathy, empathy, and compassion... The men and women behind the headset are the line between chaos and peace, they are the calm voice when someone calls at their most vulnerable. Our dispatchers have heard life come into this world and they have heard life leave this world. They have to answer calls, dispatch officers, ems, fire, tow trucks, and even life flight all while remaining calm. They do a job that is thankless and most times overlooked. I along with my admin and staff want to take the time today to say THANK YOU to all of the amazing staff at Luna County Dispatch!!! We see you and we appreciate you!!! You do an awesome job at keeping all of our officers safe and making sure they make it home to their families!!! From the bottom of our hearts we THANK YOU!!!

Mike Eby
Jimmy Garcia
Clark Smith
Luna County Sheriffs Office

Wishing all of the amazing citizens of Luna County a very happy and blessed Easter!!!!! As you gather with friends and family please be safe!! Plan ahead and DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!!!!

Mike Eby
Jimmy Garcia
Clark Smith
Luna County Sheriffs Office

2 years ago our county, state, and nation lost an amazing officer. It is a day that brought the whole state of New Mexico to a silent stand still. An officer losing his life is a tragedy but when you lose one in your own community it is a loss that is heart wrenching. To the family of Officer Darian Jarrott both blood and blue, while we know that there are no words to ever ease the heartache that his loss has caused we want you to know that all of you will always have our support. Officer Darian was an amazing officer and we know he did his job with compassion and integrity. We will forever honor the life he lived and the sacrifice he made.

Mike Eby
Jimmy Garcia
Clark Smith
Luna County Sheriffs Office

In honor of Officer Darian Jarrott.

http://www.nmlememorial.org.

Today on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day I along with my administration would like to say THANK YOU to every single law enforcement officer that has chosen to take the oath to protect and serve. To our amazing deputies here at Luna County we appreciate you and all the hard work you do for this county. I am proud to be your Sheriff and I am blessed that I get to work beside such an amazing group of officers. To all the officers here in our great city and state and to all officers nationwide we appreciate you! Stay Safe and Always Watch Your Six!!!

Mike Eby
Jimmy Garcia
Clark Smith

*The smallest acts of kindness can make the biggest difference* Today a couple of the officers and their wives put a small surprise birthday lunch together for me. It was so nice to see the officers and their families gathered together laughing and enjoying the beautiful day. It was also nice to have the Fire Dept join us, we appreciate them and the job they do. While today might have been planned as a day to celebrate my birthday I see it as the start to new traditions at the department. Seeing all the kids having fun, watching all the deputies and their families visiting, laughing and enjoying their time together is such an amazing feeling and I look forward to many more meals and celebrations with all these amazing people. From the bottom of my heart I just want to say THANK YOU!

Mike Eby

With every new year that comes we have the opportunity to embrace new hopes, new ideas, and new goals. With the start of a new chapter we are able to make the choice to make our lives the best they can be. Each day we are given is a new page for us to write our life story! I along with my Administration and the Luna County Sheriffs Office would like to wish everyone a very safe and Happy New Year. Please stay safe!!!

Mike Eby
Jimmy Garcia
Clark Smith
Luna County Sheriffs Office

Sending our deepest sympathies to Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb on the loss of his son and grandbaby. Our hearts are broken for Sheriff Lamb and his family and we extend our most sincere condolences to them during these difficult and heartbreaking times.

Mike and Jimmy

Luna County.

From the bottom of my heart I want to say THANK YOU!!! Thank you for all your support, for going out and voting, and for choosing me as your next sheriff!!!! I am so blessed to be a part of such an AMAZING community!!! You let your vote be your voice and I am so grateful!!! Once again THANK YOU!!

Mike Eby

Luna County;

Today is the day, in just a few hours the polls will close and the votes will be counted. As the hours go by I want to take the time to thank all of you for taking the time to visit with me, for bringing to light all your concerns, and most of all Thank You for all the support you have shown since the start of this campaign. You all have been so amazing and I am forever grateful. With that being said I would like to take some time to talk about the reasons why change is needed and what can be done to address the many concerns that have been discussed time and time again. The biggest concerns have been.....

☆ The dangers that come with the department being short staffed.

☆ The loss of so many officers during one administration.

☆ Calls going unanswered for long periods of time or not being answered at all.

☆ Complaints being ignored.

☆ Columbus not having coverage

☆ Lack of communication with the current administration

☆ The morale at the department being the lowest it has ever been.

☆ Tax payer dollars being wasted on trips for the sheriff and captains.

☆ Requests by deputies for change being ignored.

☆ Deputies being reprimanded if they speak against the current administration.

☆ Lack of training for the deputies.

☆ Hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to send deputies to the academy only for them to leave.

☆ Budget not being utilized to benefit the department or the citizens.

☆ Deputies not being paid on a tier payscale.

☆ 2 Captains being paid a combined salary of over $150,000 annually.

☆ Deputies answering weapons calls and domestic calls alone.

☆ Admin not assissting deputies on calls

☆ Forcing the deputies to give up days off to go to a 5/8 schedule in order to have coverage due to shortage of deputies.

The list could go on and on and all of these concerns are very important and we will work on building a better department together because this county needs a department they can count on. Most importantly I'd like to regain the trust of our citizens, the whole community not only here but in Columbus and I want to regain the confidence of the deputies so that we can restore the Luna County Sheriffs Department back to being one of the top agencies in the State of New Mexico. Luna County you are an amazing community and I know together we can make our community safer and we can have a department that serves and protects with respect and compassion. It has been an honor to talk to all of you, to get to know so many families, and to work along side so many amazing deputies. I proudly served this county for over 23 years in many positions and I will continue to do so if you elect me as your sheriff. Let your voice be your vote!!!

Mike Eby

Kandace;

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and thank you for your concerns. I believe all subjects are important no matter how small they may feel to some. This post like many others was about budget and morale not just about uniforms. Uniforms were just used as an example of how tax payers money can be better used. I believe the budget is a very important subject as is morale. Now that all that has been clarified lets talk about your concerns. You have the same concerns as alot of citizens that I have talked to and I have spoken on these concerns numerous times but we can go into further detail. Your first concern is high crime rates and I will agree crime is high, but it is hard to address crime when you have a department that is so short staffed. The department is so short staffed that they recently forced the deputies to completely change their shifts and give up one of their days off just to have enough coverage. Notice I said deputies not admin because you see the admin got to keep their 3 days off schedule and their holidays off. They arent worried about crime they are worried about getting home on time. Your second concern was fentanyl issues, and let me tell you fentanyl use is a big issue. Did you know fentanyl is one of the drugs that when you bring an overdose subject down from their high they can be extremely violent. Lets give an example, a few weeks ago a deputy arrived at a call of an overdose and in the process of trying to help him a scuffle began and it quickly became an unsafe situation. This deputy was alone and fighting with a combative subject do you know who showed up for backup? EMS is who showed up. The admin was in a meeting and they asked for BP to help but there were no BP units available. Do you know how many admin got in their units to respond when the deputy wouldnt answer his radio for a radio check and dispatch could hear yelling in the background? Let me answer that ZERO!! I have the tapes if you want to hear them. Your next concern was school shootings, and that is a big one. I agree that the safety of all children should be a priority. That being said did you know that Deming PD recently put on an active school shooter training to help officers prepare for that type of scenario and do you know how many deputies went to that training? The answer to that would be ONE, one deputy went to a training that should have been mandated to everyone in the department. It is my belief that everyone from the sheriff down should be mandated to take active school shooter training. It is my understanding that even the dispatchers attended the training so they would be prepared just in case something was to happen in our small community. So while active school shooter training was a priority for everyone else it just wasnt that important to the current admin at the sheriffs dept. The overall protection of everyone should be a priority, the protection of citizens and the deputies is something that should be taken very seriously. With the shortage of officers and with the lack of training at the department I can see why you have concerns. The concerns that you have and the concerns that so many other citizens have is why I decided to run for sheriff. I believe change is needed and I will agree with you that our neighbors and friends need better protection.

Mike Eby

Questions and Answers

Alot of questions are about the budget or morale so this post is kind of a response to how simple changes can boost morale and stop wasting the departments budget. While doing my research on this topic I found it interesting how different departments respond to their officers requests. Many of you have seen or spoken to the amazing deputies that work for the department and you may have noticed the uniforms they wear. The current uniform worn by the deputies is what you could call a class A uniform. It is the striped polyester dress pants and a button up dress shirt. You might say why does it matter and why do the officers care what they wear? Well we live in a desert climate and I can say from experience these uniforms are very hot in the summer which is uncomfortable. The department recently changed from a tan dress pant to a black dress pant and as anyone living in this area knows the desert heat and county mud does not go well with black pants. The polyester material the class As are made out of is flammable which is not safe especially when responding to any fire calls. The deputies have asked multiple times if they could change uniforms and go towards a more relaxed and comfortable Class B uniform that consists of tactical BDU pants, a collared polo shirt, and an outer weight bearing vest. The current administration has denied the request over and over. It is not being denied because of anything that affects how the deputies do their job or because of budget they are denied because the Sheriff and his Captains do not like how they look and because of the image they think the uniform sends out. The deputies do not even get to choose between short sleeve or long sleeve, they are mandated by admin when they can change from short to long sleeve. They cannot use the excuse that Luna County is the poorest county because the hard truth is that the current uniform cost more than a tactical uniform. Also if you add in the not so very cheap cowboy hats that the "Captains" have decided that the deputies can choose to wear it only once again shows that the budget is only unlimited when it comes to what the administration wants. I looked at different departments all around southern New Mexico and 99 percent of them wear the tactical uniforms with load bearing vests. When I asked a couple of the departments why, they all said the same thing "They are more comfortable and accomodating to our officers", "the vests help take the weight off the gear belt which is better for backs and hips" and "They cost less and are easier to replace if they are damaged". The pants that the department is currently wearing have to be special ordered because of the stripe so if the officers tear them they have to wait for them to be ordered and then wait for them to come in, I can say that it can sometimes take a month to get replacment pants. How is that beneficial to anyone especially the deputies. The deputies have a uniform budget of $300.00 per year, with the current uniform that is equal to 2 pants and 2 shirts. If they are damaged during an arrest or incident they do not have the option of just ordering more. I estimated the cost of the different uniforms and posted it below. While this is just an estimate it once again shows that this administration is not doing what is best for the budget or the department, everything they do is a benefit for them or what they want personally. The deputies are not asking for drastic change in uniforms, in all reality they already wear a tactical uniform when they are working designated overtime like Stone Garden. This administration has failed to put the deputies first and they have failed to put this county first by spending tax dollars on stuff that is not benefitting anyone except themselves. I ask you Luna County do you care what uniform the deputies wear or do you care that the department is currently short 8 officers and your safety is at risk? Would you rather your tax dollars get spent on a certain kind of pants and shirts or would you rather have your tax dollars used to have a fully staffed department with officers that want to work without the threat of being reprimanded because they are in the wrong uniform? Your vote is your answer to these questions. Get loud Luna County and use your vote and your voice to bring the change that is needed!

*I have included photos of the current uniforms and the class b uniforms surrounding departments wear to give you an idea of what the deputies asked to wear but were denied. *

Mike Eby

*Follow Up Post*

In recent days and as election day gets closer I seem to get asked more informative questions. I recently was having a conversation with someone and they asked why hiring uncertified deputies is different than hiring certified, and if the academy is free it shouldnt cost the county to much to get them certified. So heres some clarification, I know that hiring certified officers can be a challenge however I believe with a competitive tiered pay scale, a positive work environment and a full recruitment and retention plan and team the department would have certified applicants. There will always be applicants that are uncertified that apply and if they meet the qualifications then I believe that they should be hired. The benefit of hiring certified is that they are able to work after they complete their field training and they do not leave a gap in coverage because they do not have to leave to an academy. When an uncertified deputy is hired they cannot work alone, if you are already working with a shortage of officers and now those officers have to answer calls while trying to incorporate training it can be ineffective and dangerous. The uncertified then have to leave to a 16 week academy so they cannot work patrol, and after the 16 week academy they must still complete training with a field training officer. So after date of hire it is about 6 months before an uncertified deputy becomes certified and can be put on a full schedule rotation. As for cost of hiring uncertified, well it is not cheap or free to the county like some people try to say. While at the academy the deputies get paid their hourly wage for an 80 hour biweekly schedule, they also get paid overtime for the drive to and from Santa Fe on off days, they get paid overtime for training that is not done within the paid 80 hour biweekly schedule, and they get per diem for meals on the off days they drive home and the days they drive back. The deputies also drive the county unit so there is also fuel cost. I have done an estimation on what it cost the county to send one deputy to the academy, keep in mind this is just salary, fuel, and per diem this does not include gear, or any insurance or other fees or initial costs. The estimate is about $17,440.00 paid out while the deputy attends the 16 week academy. I am not against hiring uncertified and sending them to the academy however a majority of them get certified and then leave the department and that puts the department back at square one. Since 2016 ( current administration ) the county has paid the cost related to the academy for OVER 20 deputies!! Out of those there are only 10 that are still currently employed and of those 10 there are 4 still currently attending the academy. Seeing that Luna County "Is the poorest county" I dont think that this way of hiring and retaining officers is beneficial to the budget. If you look at the chart you will see an ESTIMATE of what the county has paid out to send deputies to the academy, keep in mind more than half of them no longer even work for Luna County. The chart is an estimate for 15 officers so the cost would be higher if you figured it at over 20 officers that have been sent. While it is just an estimate its hard to understand why the department does not have a retention plan in place so that once the county pays to get the officers certified they are able to keep them working for the department. I know for a fact that not all these officers left because of more pay, When speaking to them I have been told that they left because of how the department is run and because of how officers are treated. The county cannot keep paying to certify officers only to have them leave as soon as they get certified. With every question and every concern it becomes more and more apparent, Change is needed at the Sheriffs Dept. The citizens of this county need a reliable, dependable, fully staffed sheriffs department. Vote for change and we will work together to bring safety back to our community.

Mike Eby

Just a quick follow up post. The comment keeps being made that Luna County is the poorest county and that is why the sheriffs department cannot afford to pay the deputies what they are worth and why they cannot add more officers. If Luna County is the poorest county and the department has such a limited budget how can they afford to pay two administrative captains a combined salary of about $130,00.00 a year not including overtime. If you average in overtime the captains are being paid a combined salary of about $150,00.00 a year. While I understand that the department has a budget and I understand there are costs that come with fully staffing the department I do not agree that the excuse can be used that Luna County is the poorest county and that there is not enough to retain officers but there is enough to accomodate two captains. Not only are these captains being paid about $150,000.00 annually but the department also pays for them to go to trainings that neither of them hold a position in. The captains and deputies could not be mandated to take a free school shooter training put on locally by Deming PD but they can pay for a captain to go out of town for SRO training even though he does not work in the schools or they can afford to pay for a captain to go to training for investigators even though he is not a detective, and they also paid for a captain to go to D.A.R.E training and he has not taught D.A.R.E. The excuses are unending when it comes to morale and retaining deputies but yet when it comes to the administration it seems like their budget is limitless. The county must only be poor when it comes to the deputies, their safety, and the safety of the citizens. It is time for change and it is time that the department has a sheriff and administration that puts the deputies first. Luna County Let Your Voice And Vote Bring Change!

Mike Eby

I started writing this post to continue my questions and answers post but between where I started and where things are going I had to make some changes. A word that keeps coming up over and over is MORALE. In any job morale is important, in law enforcement it should be one of the priorities. While working law enforcement has become one of the careers most affected by negativity nation wide because of how people feel about the profession that is not the issue here locally. I put over 23 years in with Luna County and the day I chose to leave it was because of how the department had changed. A department should run on integrity and support for ALL the officers in the department not just a select a few. Before anyone runs with the whole they know what they signed up for or the officers are crying over this or that take into affect that morale affects how people work in any profession. So lets give an example of department policy and how it gets changed to accomodate the few and how it affects morale. Starting with supervision and promotions, when a supervisor position is posted it has a list of qualifications and experience needed. In other departments officers are not allowed to apply for a promotion until you have a certain amount of years with the department and you have a certain amount of experience, in Luna County that is not how it works. Anyone can apply for a promotion even if they have no experience in supervision, if they have only a few years as an officer, and even if they have multiple write ups and internal affairs investigations. So you have a corporal with over 20 years experience with no IA investigations, hes been in supervision at the department for years and he meets all the qualifications to apply. Then you have a newer deputy with only a couple of years certified, he has not held a supervisor position within the department, has had diciplinary action and does not meet the qualifications posted. In most departments the 2nd applicant would not be able to apply but in Luna County the applicant can ask for waivers from the sheriff so he can apply for the supervisor position. The Sheriffs opinion also counts for 10 percent on scoring so he basically makes the final decision. If you are not his choice it doesnt matter what experience you have or what your test scores were, he just has to grade you low and you are not promoted. Speaking to different officers from other departments and asking about promotions they stated that in their opinion they would find that unfair practice and would most likely follow chain of command to file a grievance. Some other examples of how morale is affected are; A Captain degrading and calling deputies names like illiterate, Deputies not being allowed to take vacations or having to work on days when they were supposed to be on vacation because of staffing shortages, supervisors being allowed to not answer calls and just passing them to deputies that have calls pending already, deputies being told its the job they signed up for when they express concern about not having backup, the lack of effort put towards recruitment, lack of support from admin and supervisors, and lower pay and lack of tier pay for experienced officers. As you speak to different officers whether they have 30, 20 or 10 years at the department many including myself while employed there all have said that appreciation can be the difference in how anyone does their job. If you feel appreciated and you know your admin supports you and you know that they will stand by you instead of just saying things like "Well thats how it has always been done here " when you ask for change the attitude and morale of the department would be different. Even a simple change can make a difference, there is a nationwide program called No Shave November, it is a program where officers donate money that can be used towards community programs like Shop With a Cop or Thanksgiving Baskets for the community and other local charities. Luna County is one of the few departments that does not allow facial hair and in recent years the officers have asked to participate in No Shave November to raise money for the community and they are always denied because to the administration having facial hair is not acceptable no matter if its temporary or a benefit to the commmunity. Even our local Deming Police Department has participated in the program for years. These are just a few examples of morale and what affects it can have on staff and how simple changes and working well with the officers can change the whole department and how the community sees the department. It is time for the department to change and evolve so that it is a place where officers want to work. It is time for the department to have a Sheriff that leads with not just integrity but with compassion and understanding. Luna County it is time for change.

Mike Eby

Luna County really knows how to show up and celebrate!! I had a great time visiting with all of you, handing out alot of candy, and seeing all the different costumes. Being able to be a part of such an amazing event and being able to call Luna County home is such a blessing. Thank you to the groups that worked so hard to put on such a successful event and thank you to all the first responders for keeping everyone safe. It was a great night and I feel so amazed by all your support!!

Mike Eby