Meet Las Cruces' new inspector general, Charles Tucker: Who is he?

Charles Tucker is just over two months into a job that the City of Las Cruces requires but had been vacant since it was created in 2018.

Tucker, 58, is in the process of establishing the city's Inspector General's Office. With 22 years of experience as an inspector general in military and civilian roles, Tucker fills a position that was outlined in an ordinance five years ago.

"In the Army, the IG has a structure that has been established for over 245 years," said Tucker, who retired from the Army in 2006. "It's very simple. Once you know where everything goes, it's already in place. The City of Las Cruces, there is nothing. There is no history at all. We are standing up the process the way City Council and the city manager wants it done."

Tucker has the authority to both conduct investigations as a result of complaints referred by the city board of ethics or other city complaint avenues, or initiate his own investigations.

"I don't do criminal investigations, I don't get involved with EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) actions and I don't do any type of litigation," Tucker said. "I look at problems within the city. My job will be to determine systemic issues and find out how we can solve those."

Tucker says an effective inspector general has a proactive approach, but for anyone who feels the need to register a complaint, it's also his job to ensure privacy for residents or city employees who seek him out.

"It's a brand new position and new with our (City Council-Mayor) form of government so we are asking the public to be patient with us," said counselor Johana Bencomo, who represents District 4.

In order to ensure anonymity, Tucker will begin conducting off-site office hours in January. In an interview with the Sun-News, Tucker said office hours will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the first and third Friday of every month at the Frank O'Brien Papen Center, and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., on the first and third Thursday every month at Sage Café Community Center.

"Anybody who has issues with the city, any city employee or any public person of the City of Las Cruces can come talk to me," Tucker said. "I'm trying to put myself out there so that people will be more comfortable in coming to see me and not worry about who is watching.

"I want us to be open and transparent. I'm trying to make things better, but I need the city's input and that personal input."

Inspector general's role created following Visit Las Cruces investigation

The inspector general position was established in 2018 by the city's accountability in government ordinance. It lays out the qualifications for the position as well as scope of responsibility and limits on power.

Listed first among the inspector general's jurisdiction and authority, the ordinance reads, "The inspector general shall have the authority to investigate, either by request or initiated by the inspector general, municipal matters that involve elected or appointed officials, employees, municipal agencies and instrumentalities, contractors, their subcontractors and lower tier subcontractors, and other parties doing business with the city or receiving city funds."

The ordinance came two years prior to Albuquerque-based McHard Firm's release of findings in its investigation into Visit Las Cruces, the city's convention and visitor's bureau, in 2020. The report listed violations of procurement code, bid rigging, anti-donation clause violations, mishandled public money and undisclosed conflicts of interest within city government.

The report recommended the hiring of an inspector general and the formation of an oversight committee.

The McHard Report was released just months after City Manager Ifo Pili's tenure started in September 2020. Pili said the city had also implemented changes in city policy in purchasing and the finance department as a result of the McHard Report, but the inspector general position remained vacant.

"That was part of the delay was me trying to come up with the job description and pay rate and once the job was posted, trying to get candidates," Pili said. "And part of it was me coming in and trying to find the need for this position and if it was something we were going to do with a contracted employee, a part time IG or a full time IG.

"I don't have experience with an IG and as I looked at other cities or size, I don't know many that do."

Las Cruces' search for an inspector general

Although created in 2018, the position remained vacant until this year, when it has actually been filled twice. First, the initial hiring process ultimately led to the city hiring Jim Reed on Jan. 30. Reed resigned from the position on Sept. 8.

"Jim was tasked with the challenge of creating the position from scratch," Pili said. "He retired in good standing and if he were to apply for another position in the city, there would be no marks on the way that he performed."

After Reed's resignation, rather than go through another selection process, Pili appointed Tucker to the position on Oct. 6 with an annual salary of $115,000. Tucker, like all city employees, is subject to a one-year probationary period of employment.

"I have the ability to do that by Charter," Pili said. "Because the application process had taken so long to hire this position, years before I was even here.

"For me, I wanted someone that had experience. An IG isn't that common and Charles has qualifications that are beyond reproach (with) 20 years as an IG with the military. I didn't want to send it back out and if we did, I don't think we would have gotten someone like Charles."

While the ordinance calls for the independence of the inspector general, Tucker ultimately reports to City Council and the city manger.

"He can investigate anyone in the organization, including the manager," Pili said. "We have processes in place, but we are trying to amend the ordinance and outline the process if the manager needs to be investigated.

"I think this could be a really valuable position with an experienced inspector general. ... He will be setting up shop in different places in the city to solicit whatever residents want to report to him. I think it really speaks to transparency and being open."

Tucker did sit on the three-person oversight committee, which was formed in 2020, but the city is currently seeking to fill two positions on the committee - one with a law enforcement or legal background and one new member who is a certified public accountant or auditor.

"I think in our second meeting of the committee, they gave us the McHard Report and I was like, 'Holy Moly' how did this even happen?" Tucker said. "I can't say for sure, but other stuff was happening as well, I think. I know that from reading the McHard report, there was a lot of stuff in there that was not appropriate.

"The verbiage is pretty encompassing to make sure we don't have anything happen like that McHard Report again where you have elected officials or appointed officials who don't have oversight. That is pretty much what I'm here for now."

Identifying fraud, waste and abuse in Las Cruces

Since taking the job, Tucker has already been able to identify one issue within City Hall.

"We lose equipment like crazy here," Tucker said. "Trailers disappear and stuff is stolen. We can't keep doing that kind of thing because our taxpayer money is finite. We can't more forward as an organization because we will never be in a surplus.

"At the same time, I'm getting reports that there are processes in the city that are probably not where they should be. Are the processes that are in place enough to where it's helping citizens who want to invest in city projects are able to do that, or are those processes stopping them because they are antiquated or not as easy as they should be."

Army background on Charles Tucker

Tucker started as an active duty inspector general for two years at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He transitioned away from the position, but the Army made it a civilian position in 2006. Tucker was looking to retire from active duty at the time so he stepped back into the position as one of four inspector generals until he learned there was an open inspector general job available at White Sands in 2008.

"The IG community is really small in the Army so someone at Fort Bliss told me there was a job available (at WSMR)," Tucker said. "It was different. I was doing only inspections and this was a full service IG office."

There were four IGs at White Sands when Tucker started, but due to attrition, he became the command inspector general by 2012. After, he was the lone inspector general on the base for the next 10 years. During that time, Tucker said he identified instances of inconsistencies in soldier training protocols, misuse of military vehicles and mistreatment of injured soldiers during training.

In his new role with the city, Tucker's direct report is to City Attorney Linda Samples.

"I've asked some pretty tough questions, but haven't had any pushback yet," Tucker said.

Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @jpgroves.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces hires Army veteran Charles Tucker to be inspector general