Tularosa mayor-elect Deborah Cooksey wants to increase police officer personnel
Deborah Lynn Cooksey, the newly elected mayor of Tularosa, said she hopes to make her constituents proud by advocating for government transparency.
Cooksey said among the first issue to address when she begins her term is recruitment of law enforcement personnel.
"We have always had a bit of a problem with our police force, and that is foremost on my mind. Not that our police force is bad right now, but we're really short, so, it's a bit hard to police a community when you only have so little officers," she said.
Tularosa Police department currently employs six officers, according to Tularosa Village Clerk Rebekah Bryant.
"I really want to make it an attractive place for officers to work. We need to be safe," Cooksey said.
She said Tularosa, a town of approximately 3,000 people, cannot effectively compete in recruitment with other cities who offer incentives.
The Alamogordo Daily News contacted Tularosa Chief of Police Brandon Boyle to inquire about current officer pay and the Village's crime rate but did not receive a response by the time of this publication.
"I won't make any promises now, but if I can find the money to pay to have more officers here, I'll do it. I'll look for it. You know, we don't have the type of resources for large investigations," Cooksey said.
"We have to get help from the state and neighboring counties during incidents that happen which we are so thankful for. I just hope I can keep our community safe and if that means finding more grants to have incentives like trainings then I am going to do my best to make that happen."
More: New Mexico Museum of Space History to kick off Sci-Fi, Sci-Fact exhibit
Cooksey described Tularosa as quiet and close-knit.
"We are a small community that stays in touch with each other, you have to get to know these people. If you know our town, you'll know where the bad things happen," she said.
Also among the things to accomplish in her term, she said, is addressing infrastructure.
"I think that we need to start looking for grants. We have a lot of infrastructure that we need to get fixed. We have a lot of potholes, (and) we need to drill a second water source for the village," Cooksey said.
Cooksey said she is thankful for her constituents and to those who helped her campaign.
"I hope I do not disappoint them. I want to make good changes and positive changes to the community. I've told them (residents) all along I am not a politician, I am just a small-town girl trying to do what's right for her community," she said. "I just want to make them proud and not let them down, that's what it boils down to is the support of my community."
Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter at @Juan36Corr.
This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Tularosa mayor-elect Deborah Cooksey wants to hire more police officers
