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September 20, 2000

Herrera Back With APD at Cottonwood Mall

By Steve Shoup
Journal Staff Writer
    Tony Herrera was on television or quoted in the newspapers almost daily a few years ago, but he isn't an elected official or a celebrity.
    Herrera was the Albuquerque Police Department's public information officer in the mid-1990s, helping inform the city about crime and police investigations.
    Two years ago, Herrera was diagnosed with cancer and left the post. But the cancer is now in remission and Herrera last month went back to APD, working with the public at the police mini-substation at Cottonwood Mall.
    "It's been an honor for me to work there and with the people there," Herrera said Tuesday at the substation.
    Herrera joined APD as a civilian employee in the early '70s, and worked as a supervisor in the communications division until the mid-1980s, when he transferred to the crime prevention division, he said. He also served as deputy public information officer, filling in occasionally for then-APD spokeswoman Mary Molina Mescall.
    Then-APD Chief Joe Polisar made Herrera APD's public information officer in 1994, a position he held through the beginning of Chief Jerry Galvin's tenure in 1998.
    Herrera said the cancer affected his bone marrow, but it is now in remission.
    "I had good support from my wife, the Albuquerque Police Department was there for me, members of the media were calling me at home, some crying," Herrera said. "Faith in God "
    Now Herrera works as a community service aide four days a week at the mall, taking reports on minor accidents or incidents, freeing up officers to deal with more serious crime.
    "Meeting with the public is good," Herrera said. "That's the part I like best."
    Herrera said he hoped discussing his cancer would encourage others.
    "You know, if there's somebody out there that has been told they have cancer, don't be afraid. Get the treatment, call the doctor," Herrera said. "Let the people know it's not always a death sentence."
   

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If there's a former newsmaker you would like us to track down, contact Ellen Marks at 823-3842 or emarks@abqjournal.com.