Rael Officially Police Chief

Raymond Rael has formally been appointed as Santa Fe’s police chief, city officials announced Thursday.

Rael has served as interim chief since March. The post was made permanent after a favorable 90-day evaluation of Rael’s performance, according to a release from the city.

“I’m honored to have been asked to serve in this capacity,” Rael said. “After spending a good part of my adult life in the service of the city and this department, I consider it a great honor to push forward and hope to have the opportunity to make some positive impact in the police force.”

City Manager Robert Romero said in the release that during Rael’s time as chief, there have been reductions in both burglaries and complaints about vagrants in the Plaza area, as well as the creation of a catalytic converter etching program that will make it more difficult to sell stolen converters.

“Chief Rael and his administration are working hard to implement additional programs that will continue to minimize criminal activity and to better protect Santa Fe’s residents and visitors,” Romero said.

Rael will earn $101,995 annually.

Rael, 57, served in the Marines during the Vietnam War. A Santa Fe native, he was a city cop for 21 years and was once an assistant police chief before retiring as a captain in 1999. Most recently, Rael served as the city’s compliance administrator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In March, he was appointed as interim chief of a police department hit hard with morale and other issues.

His predecessor, Aric Wheeler, was chief for less than two years before stepping down.

Since taking office, Rael has already gone head-to-head with the city’s police union over his decision to fire two officers and discipline three others for their role in the takedown and arrest of a man on the Walmart parking lot last year.

Rael terminated Troy Baker and Steve Cosban because he said they falsified reports of the incident. The Santa Fe Police Officer’s Association has criticized the decision, citing a prior Internal Affairs investigation that, according to the association, cleared the officers.

Rael said that his review of the incident didn’t support the conclusion of the original investigation, which was conducted under Wheeler’s administration.

The matter is now in the federal court system.

Looking ahead, Rael said Thursday his goals include continuing work to reduce property crime, bringing the department up to full staffing levels and implementing innovative crime prevention programs.

“The job is obviously challenging and there are always issues in this position. I will try my best to provide the citizens of Santa Fe with the best quality law enforcement services we can provide,” he said.