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Nov 01, 2024

Santa Fe County sheriff's deputies to get new stun guns | Local News | santafenewmexican.com

Reporter Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies are getting 90 new electronic stun guns with twice the range of the ones they have now. County commissioners unanimously approved the roughly $400,000

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Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies are getting 90 new electronic stun guns with twice the range of the ones they have now.

County commissioners unanimously approved the roughly $400,000 agreement Tuesday with Arizona-based Axon Enterprises Inc. The new stun guns will “nearly double” the range of the current stun guns deputies are using, sheriff’s office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila wrote in an email. The five-year contract includes hardware, software, services and warranties, with payments of about $79,806 per year until 2028.

Deputies have used stun guns twice this month and 10 times this year, Womack-Avila wrote. She noted the less-lethal equipment is “part of the standard issued equipment each sworn staff member is required to carry” and “the new Axon Taser we are purchasing is improved technology” and “more reliable.”

The stun guns being used by deputies now are nearing the end of their five-year manufacturer-recommended estimated life span, according to a memorandum prepared by staff for the commissioners’ meeting. The county plans to use a $600,000 grant from the state Department of Finance Administration to pay for them.

The sheriff’s office has 94 sworn positions, according to Womack-Avila, with 86 positions filled. Each deputy will be issued one of the new Axon stun guns, she wrote in an email, adding it is standard to shock cadets as a part of sheriff’s office training.

The county continues to move toward purchasing a south-side property in order to move the District Attorney’s Office staff, which is housed just steps away from the First Judicial District Courthouse.

Earlier this month, commissioners authorized negotiations for a purchase agreement to acquire a building at 2905 Rodeo Park Drive, at the intersection of Rodeo and Sawmill roads near the entrance to Interstate 25. The building is listed at $5 million. An additional $1 million might be needed to cover the cost of moving expenses and improvements.

On Tuesday, commissioners approved a resolution allocating an additional $3.2 million to the project for Americans with Disabilities Act improvements to the space and to help with moving expenses.

Previously, the county was considering renovating the District Attorney’s Office, 327 Sandoval St., and had budgeted $2.8 million for the renovation project.

“The County continues to negotiate the purchase of 2905 Rodeo Park Drive with the seller,” county spokesperson Olivia Romo wrote in an email. “The County has presented its offer, and an appraisal has been ordered.”

The location is 4 miles from the courthouse — a 15-minute drive — but the purchase would enable the District Attorney’s Office to move on from the downtown office space, which officials describe as aging and crowded.

One new effort to turn the tide in the affordable housing crisis is the county’s Developer Assistance Program, which aims to make building affordable housing less costly by letting developers apply for grants or loans.

On Tuesday, commissioners approved $4 million in loans for four “fully affordable” multifamily housing developments, a memorandum states.

Funding will be low-interest loans, with a land-use restriction that matches the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority’s affordability period requirements.

Projects receiving funding:

Officials describe the agency's downtown office next to the courthouse as crowded and aging, with too little parking.

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