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Filling the ranks: State police celebrate graduation of five lateral officers
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Students at high schools and colleges aren’t the only ones graduating this week.
Five lateral police officers, dressed in black and gray uniforms, marched toward the 515th Regiment Regional Training Institute, weapons in hand, for an inspection by New Mexico State Police Chief W. Troy Weisler before their graduation ceremony.
The lateral officers are commissioned from other law enforcement agencies and will join the State Police, which has jurisdiction throughout the state. While the graduating class was small, the department sees it as progress in addressing its officer shortage.
The department currently has 628 commissioned officers. The agency is budgeted for 722 officers, leaving nearly 100 vacant positions, according to State Police spokesperson Wilson Silver.
“We’re really starting to see an uptick in recruiting,” Weisler said. “Today’s class is five, and every little bit helps, but in conjunction with the 21 that we’re hoping to graduate here next month, that will be a good bump to our overall numbers.”
Weisler said that the upcoming fall class has had more applicants than the department has seen in “the last decade,” which he said is a step in the right direction and shows a “change in perception” for State Police.
“The newer generation of people that are entering the workforce are really interested in public service and interested in doing things for the community, and I think that they’re starting to recognize that this is a way that they can really give back to the community and be part of something bigger than themselves,” he said.
At the ceremony, each graduate received a gold badge to place over their heart, marking the completion of the eight-week training program. Dozens of family members in attendance gave a standing ovation as the new officers marched out of the building.
“It was a long mental and physical game,” said Maxwell Jojola, one of five graduates. “But I’m extremely excited to get out in the streets and try to help people as much as I can.”
Jojola, who served as a police officer in Bloomfield, said he wanted to pursue a change in career to gain more experience and opportunities, and to serve a larger population of New Mexico.
