Welcome to election 2026 coverage on KRWG Public Media.

We're conducting candidate forums and interviews and contested races around the region on radio and online and here on television.

I'm KC Counts.

This is the Dona Ana County Sheriff's Candidate forum, featuring Republican candidate Todd Garrison and Democratic candidate Vanessa Ordoñez.

Each candidate will have one minute to answer.

Each question, well alternate who answers first.

We ask that candidates don't mention each other by name.

The first question goes first to Miss Ordonez.

Thank you.

How has your background prepared you to serve as the next sheriff of Dona Ana County?

Wow, that's a great question.

I believe that my background, it really goes back to being a police chief.

I was a currently, former police chief just recently, for over seven years.

And I was the city of Anthony's longest standing police chief.

So while I was there, I managed budgets.

I oversaw the entire operations of the police department.

And I think having that background, having a good working relationships with our stakeholders, with our elected officials, all of that has prepared me for this role.

more importantly, I also have a master's degree in criminal justice administration.

And I also have a strong military background.

my law enforcement certification is also good in good standing.

I have a lot of extensive and advanced training in mental health, domestic violence, peer to peer support.

I could go on and on a lot and a lot of information about the actual training.

But yes, I believe all of that has prepared me for this role.

Right.

Mr.

Garrison, same question to you.

Yes, ma'am.

I believe that my 31 plus years of law enforcement experience working here in Dona Ana County is given me the experience that I need to run the sheriff's office.

I, started my career in 1985 with the Las Cruces PD.

And then, after 16.5 years, I left and went to New Mexico State Police, where I became a supervisor there and oversaw five counties down here supervising 26 people.

And in 2005, I became sheriff of Dona Ana County.

And I was the sheriff from 2005 to 2014 and oversaw a budget of close to $20 million and 300 employees and volunteers.

All right.

First question now goes, the next question, I should say goes to you, Mr.

Garrison.

First, how would you characterize the budget of the Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office outside of payroll?

What are your budget priorities if elected?

I think outside of payroll, which is the largest that fuel, vehicles, equipment for the officers, training?

those are the primary things that we need to focus on.

I mean, law enforcement is constantly changing, and you need to keep up with the times, with technology, with, keeping your officers trained and and ready to serve the public as best they can.

Okay, Mr.

Ordoñez.

Thank you, thank you.

Thanks for the question.

So I believe the sheriff's office currently operates on a $41 million budget.

And so it's a it's a lot of money, right.

And a lot of that it does go to payroll and benefits.

However, I believe that we also have to set aside quite a bit of funding for training, with how technical law enforcement is nowadays.

And I believe that we have to have modernized training.

We have to be very, informed of our current trends in technology and be able to, you know, keep up with whatever trends are going on, like AI is important.

So a lot of that funding should be going into these, opportunities to enhance public safety and how we response or how we respond to crime.

the other thing, too, is I would like to see some of this funding go to maybe, alternative response to help with de-escalation and mental health cases.

On the topic of training, what are the greatest needs of the Dona Ana Sheriff's Office for new or ongoing training?

Well, I think it's really important.

Again, the technology, I think, staying apprized of AI, being ahead of all the trends that are happening, especially currently we're dealing with the licensed plate readers, right.

And making sure that we're also facilitating a service that's going to help solve crime, but also not violate people's constitutional rights.

So that funding needs to definitely go to training.

But the training definitely needs to be enhanced overall through investigations, through also professional development, peer to peer support, so that the officers also have the ability to, you know, have resources available for their own self care.

Okay, Mr.

Garrison, Yeah, we have state mandated requirements for training.

And I think it's important, you know, so often, I think many departments fail to allow their officers the time on the range and in driving simple driving.

I mean, you know, we have accidents and there's never any updated training.

And I think that it's important to, you know, as far as moving ahead and technology, that's great.

And it's, it's going to it's going to happen.

But there's nothing that means the good old fashioned police work.

And that requires, the basic training that we need to keep up with and maintain and so you're always going to have the advanced classes, you're always going to have those, advanced opportunities, which we will consistently go to.

But keeping up with the day to day stuff is one of the most important things.

All right.

In light of harsh criticism in the state auditor's special audit of the county, how do you plan to improve relations with county management and commissioners, if elected?

You know, once again, I believe in the office of sheriff, and I believe that that position, being an elected position is very important.

an office where the people in the county elect to sheriff, I think it's important that that sheriff work well with the commissioners who are also elected with the county management and it's communication.

You have to be able to communicate.

You have to be able to work with the different departments within the county and realize the county only has so much money to go around, and that's to fund all the needs of the county.

So I think that's that's the primary concern is communication and making sure you make those, attempts to get out and, and talk about the different events going on.

I like to keep them apprized of what's happening in the sheriff's office, just so that they are aware and know what's coming up and what's what to expect.

Alright.

Ms.

Ordoñez?

So I would say it's really critical to work with County management and with the county commission.

I had said this earlier that we have to have mutual respect for each other's roles and we have to understand what those roles are.

so with that, I would say definitely, you know, enhance communication, maybe regular meetings so that everybody's on the same page of what needs to happen.

the question came up during the audit, too, about, you know, does the sheriff have the authority to do his or her job?

Right.

And we want to make sure that they are being supported so that they can effectively run the operations of the sheriff's office and also provide quality service to the community.

so oversight is also huge, I think.

I love the idea that the auditor came up with with having an inspector general, you know, come out and have oversight of what's happening within the county.

I think those strategies can also help improve overall, until everybody is on the same page.

Okay, you've already mentioned it a lot.

Cameras have become a flashpoint in public discourse.

What is your opinion of their use and will you advocate for any changes as to how they're being deployed in the county?

Yeah.

So I mean, you have your pros and cons with license plate readers, and I really believe that they are doing a great here.

They're doing great for public safety.

I want to say that just the past year, we had the sheriff's office had over 1.5 million in stolen vehicles recovered.

So the flock cameras are actually doing their job.

They're helping with missing persons.

They're helping locate people with, you know, medical emergencies or dementia.

Right.

So I think for the with that regard to in for to use up, that is a critical to it, a tool to have for public safety.

However, at what cost?

Right.

We can't violate constitutional rights.

And I think that people's privacy should be private.

so I, I am a big advocate of making sure that we have cybersecurity measures in place and that we're doing the right thing to protect our people's privacy and information.

All right.

Thank you, Mr.

Garrison.

Yes, ma'am.

I agree.

I believe that the cameras do serve law enforcement well in many ways.

And I think it assists in, you know, stopping criminal activity in the county.

But at the same time, I definitely put my, focus on people's rights and, and protecting their, their rights from that stuff.

And that's one of those things I think it's an ongoing, thing that we're gonna have to keep a very close eye on.

I believe that, these cameras can definitely help law enforcement with their ability to get things done.

But, you know, it is very important to protect people's rights and make sure that that's not violated.

So.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

What are some other technological changes in law enforcement, such as drones and body cameras, that have either improved or hampered law enforcement agencies?

And, what will your focus be with regard to those technologies?

It's interesting.

When I get out of law enforcement in 2014, I went to work for a company that was introducing drones, and at that time nobody would have them anywhere.

And they were really impressive.

I was trying to show how they could really enhance the the work in law enforcement.

And, nobody at that time was buying them because they were so new.

It was one of those things.

But they have, recent they're being used everywhere now.

I think that they are, very useful.

it's very important to be able to launch a drone and cover a crime scene that officers are responding into to have updated, information to the area that you're headed to.

There.

There are a number of things that are just constantly changing, and technology improves all the time.

And we will keep up with that is as time as time goes on.

It's very important.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you for that question.

Technology is a beast right now in law enforcement.

And I really think that we have to stay ahead of these emerging trends.

the I love the idea of the drone as a first responder.

I think that is a really great tool to have for technology use to be able to, you know, enhance officer safety and be able to assess scenes before we actually go in.

Right?

So I think that kind of technology is key to have to helping with officer safety.

body cams too.

I think the body cams and their capabilities now that are enhancing with, you know, I the dictation for report that those are amazing tools to have that can make a law enforcement officer's job a lot easier.

Right.

but we don't want to take the human side of a of an officer either by replacing it fully with technology.

I don't agree with that.

I think that we should still have those connections with our community that does not involve technology.

those one on one interactions are really important.

also GPS for fleet, you know, central dispatch and what their capabilities are too.

I think it's important to stay ahead of those trends as well.

All right.

How would you characterize the current state of equipment and tools outside of some of the new technology we've discussed which DSO possesses, and where are there needs that you would address upon election?

So, I mean, I've talked to them.

I've worked with some of the deputies, you know, when I was in Anthony and I've seen the capability of technology that they have, I would work towards trying to enhance our participation or the availability to have a real time crime center.

I think that's important.

but at the end of the day, you know, you got to go in there.

My priority would be in good to go in there and assess what what they want to see through, because it's their professional growth, too.

And it's also their department.

So to get their ideas and grow at that, I think that would be helpful with the technology piece anyway.

but I mean, technology is it probably evolved as we were speaking right now.

So it's it's a trend that's constant.

And so I appreciate technology, but like I said, I still like to see the human side of people.

Okay.

Mr.

Grayson, I know I agree, I think that, technology is one of those things we need to keep up with.

And it's important to law enforcement, but nothing beats that good old fashioned person talking to someone else and that, good old fashioned law enforcement.

I mean, we can't let go of that.

That is the the foundation of this stuff.

And I think that, you know, as these things improve, as we find new things that we can utilize in law enforcement to to make those things better, I think one of the biggest things is, you know, TV has done a disservice to us.

You watch a one hour TV show program and they solve, 12 homicides and, and recover 14 vehicles.

And it just takes time to make those things happen.

We have to send evidence to laboratories and have it inspected and then sent back.

And it takes months.

I think having access to better ways of of getting that stuff processed would be the best thing for law enforcement and help us to meet the needs of the public that much faster.

Okay.

Well, what is your plan for how the Sheriff's Department will or will not work with the federal government on immigration policy?

I think that's you know, it's one of the big questions out here, right now.

You know, I think as the sheriff, it has always been my experience the ten years I was there.

When the federal government comes in, they contact the sheriff as to the programs, different things that are going on, investigations going on, and we work with them.

And, you know, when we become law enforcement officers, we take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the state of New Mexico.

And the federal government does, too.

Our jobs are different.

Law enforcement in the state and local level does not enforce immigration issues, but the federal government does.

And I think that, making sure that we're in support of but not out there helping to, enforce immigration issues, that's not on our radar, but keeping up with the trends of, human trafficking and drugs and that kind of violence is very important to have that relationship and work with them.

So.

Right, Ms.

Ordoñez?

Yeah.

So I'm very passionate about this question because I am a first generation American.

my mom is from Mexico.

And so I really think it's really important for our immigrants and our community to feel safe reporting crime.

and if we're getting involved with enforcing immigration, I think that creates distrust.

And so I do not advocate for that, especially with the optics occurring across our nation right now.

I strongly believe that.

I mean, again, we have, like Mr.

Garrison said, we have to uphold the law, you know, state and federal if we needed.

But at the end of the day, we have the immigrant safety Act that went into effect.

So that's one thing.

but more importantly, we have to make sure that our community feels safe reporting crime to us.

And we cannot create that distrust.

You know, if if we're over there engaging in a job that is not for us, that's the federal government's job, that is Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

That is what they do.

They enforce immigration.

And that should be separate from local law enforcement.

Okay.

There are many mixed status families in Dona Ana County.

And while those exact numbers are hard to identify, what are your thoughts on this vulnerable population and their relationship with law enforcement?

Well, I think it's important for us to go to them.

I have to say, you know, we have many colonias in our community, in our county, and we have, you know, La Union, we have Chaparral.

Those communities need to be represented.

And I think it's important for us to go to them, to hear them out and to hear what those concerns are for public safety, even if it's not public safety.

It could be that they need resources for housing, for food, because those are stressors that actually can increase crime.

And so for me, I think going to them and going to those populations is really important for me.

As if should we get to the race or past the race of November?

All right.

Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

I agree.

I think that, it's important to represent everybody on the same level and having officers in these different areas.

This has been a problem for 40 years that I've been involved in law enforcement.

And I really believe the sheriff has more, has a stronger ability to be able to help fix this problem.

We've been doing little things that are not making it better.

It seems to make it worse.

we can't violate the law to protect things.

We need to uphold those things.

And and I believe that it's a problem that needs to be dealt with when you have people who are here illegally and they're being preyed upon by other people who are here illegally because they feel they can't reach out to law enforcement, that's that's a serious problem.

That's why when I went to Washington and testified on and I believe there's got to be a better way for us to work with the federal government to get a fix that will take care of this problem instead of just, covering up with things that just never, never work.

So what have you learned about morale in the Dona Ana Sheriff's Office, and what tools have you developed in your past that effectively improve morale?

I believe morale in the sheriff's office and in any police, in any law enforcement agency is very important.

You know, I believe money is one of those things that most officers talk about.

But if morale is down and nobody wants to come to work, you just have a problem keeping people there.

morale is one of those things that I plan on working on.

I plan on trying to have that communication first with my officers.

If you don't have that communication with them and they don't know where they're headed, it makes it difficult to go out and serve the community.

So that is one of the things I plan on doing first, starting with them and then moving out after reestablishing goals internally and externally, then moving out to the public and establishing communication better with them to serve them as we as we need to.

All right.

Ms.

Ordoñez?

So I think, for this question, morale is huge, right?

you can't fix everybody's problems with morale.

however, as a leader, I think we have an obligation to always try to take care of our people.

And for me, what that looks like is, you know, knowing your staff, knowing the the people's names that you're working with, knowing their fam, maybe not to that technical, I guess, of knowing what their names of the families, but knowing, you know, a little bit more about them, right.

What their career goals are, what where they see their profession going.

I think that's important.

And how can I, as a leader, support those efforts to enhance their growth within the department?

morale can also be simply just checking in with them to having that open door approach and letting them go in there and talk to you if they want to, giving them resources for self-care.

I think that's important for them to have access to, you know, employee assistance programs and that that's what I would do.

all right.

If elected, do you plan to appoint an undersheriff, and if so, what would be their focus?

Yes.

So I've had numerous discussions, actually, I've talked to the union about this.

I've talked to several of the, members of the command staff at the sheriff's office.

And my position right now is very clear.

I want to be in office.

for a I mean, hopefully not for that for that long before making that decision, but anywhere between maybe 4 to 6 months to really critically assess what the need is, what kind of undersheriff do we need coming into this office?

so that's going to be my position, and I need somebody who is going to be loyal, who's going to have that open line of communication, who is going to be able to also work well with the team?

somebody who knows what they're doing, who has a law enforcement background.

And, you know, especially taking into we have to take into consideration what's been happening within the county.

Right.

And so finding somebody that can also strengthen those efforts with, collaboration and communication as a whole.

All right.

Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

After doing ten years as sheriff, I believe that the undersheriff position is a very important, vital position to have.

And I do plan on having one make that decision after the race is over also.

Okay.

I believe that a it is very difficult to run that office by yourself.

The sheriff has many, many duties, such as working with state lawmakers, federal lawmakers, meeting with different places and needing someone there at the sheriff's office constantly.

And undersheriff plays a very vital role in that.

Can you be more specific on their focus?

I think, you know, as the undersheriff would be there to maintain daily operations and keep things going and make sure training is being met and all those kinds of things, working with the sheriff to to get those things up and going.

All right.

Now, what will be your first priority if elected?

My first priority, if elected, is to get into the sheriff's office and to at that time address all the people and to try to work on the problems within and try to bring everybody back together as one group and then to set our goals together.

I think it's important that, you know, I have goals that I want to see done and accomplish, but I think it's important to have been on those things and to have participation in those things.

And when they're made that way, then we move out and accomplish those things out in the public.

And, you know, I, I mean, I think outreach, public, community policing those things, having school resource officers, people back in, people boots on the ground in the communities where it's needed, where they can have a relationship with each other is very important.

All right.

Yeah.

So my priority would be really to go in there.

I'm not trying to go in there and change every single aspect of the sheriff's office, but really take the positive things that are working and work off of that.

Right?

I also want to listen to what the team wants, where they also what their vision is for the for the sheriff's office and progress that forward to those are one of my goals, but I feel like we have to go in there and really understand what the organization looks like, what the operation looks like, what the budget looks like, you know, start those working relationships, call for meetings with different leaders in that community so that you can be on, you know, one shared common goal, at least, and figure out strategies to really how to better improve the department, because running for sheriff, we're really doing that so that we can try to make it better, whatever that looks like.

Right.

And so for me, that's one of the priorities that I would take on as far as if we get into office.

the second thing would be juvenile crime.

I definitely think we need to address juvenile crime, through diversion programs, through education, talking to all of our stakeholders.

That's also a top priority for me.

Okay.

let's talk a little bit more about community policing.

Can you define it?

How do you define it?

And what does it look like?

in Dona Ana County.

So community policing to me, what that looks like is actually going out there and talking to your neighbors.

It means going, you know, if you see a neighbor watering the grass or if you see kids playing on the basketball court, get out of your unit.

Not every interaction requires enforcement action.

I think that interactions where you can, you know, go to a business and do a check in, the businesses will appreciate that, believe me.

And they won't forget those interactions.

The kids, if you go to a school and just say hello to the teachers or to a classroom, they won't forget those efforts.

That's what community policing looks like.

For me, it looks like being present, being present and having a presence in in all the rural communities too, and not just your your more populated areas.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

Garrison.

Yes, ma'am.

I believe that, I feel like law enforcement has lost its voice with the community.

I think, you know, with technology and all these things changing constantly, we are pursuing that at such a fast level that we've forgotten to get back out on the streets.

I think that, it's important to realize for community policing in a county like Dona Ana, you can't do in Santa Teresa what you might do in chaparral.

They all have each community has their unique issues and unique problems, and I think that in order to fully take care of those things, you need to have officers that are assigned to that area.

They get to know the people in that area, have meetings with those people, have monthly meetings, have community meetings, be involved in the parades, and they get to know the officers at a personal level and then the officers coming in know what's going on because they've they've been there, you know, the day before and last week they know the problems.

And we work to take care of those problems.

I mean, it's not hard to fix things.

if we just take the time to figure out what's causing the problem and then work at doing that, and that's what to public services to get out there and take care of people's needs.

Right.

Well, we just have a couple of minutes left.

So I would like to have each one of you take a minute of time just to tell voters what else they should know about you and your campaign for Dona Ana County sheriff.

Okay.

All right.

Me first.

Yes.

I just want people to know that I have been, a 32 year law enforcement, career in this in this county.

I did ten years as the sheriff from 2005 to 2014.

I have the experience to run that department, to manage the budgets that are needed to take care of things.

I have the training background, the law enforcement background to to move things forward.

I have lived in this county my entire life.

I'm born and raised here, raising my kids and my grandkids.

I have a large buy in.

I've been married 44 years to my wife, and we've raised our family here, and, we want to help others.

My heart has always been to be a true public servant and to serve people in however I can.

And I wish to continue doing that as sheriff of Dona Ana County once again.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Ms.

Ordoñez?

Yes.

Thank you.

So the things that I want people to know about me is that I'm rooted here in Dona Ana County.

I'm from here.

I grew up here.

I'm very acclimated to currently what's going on with public safety and our communities now, I also have a combined experience of the military and professional law enforcement background, having that master's degree in criminal justice administration.

I also currently sit on on boards for public safety.

I sit on the Dona Ana County Juvenile Justice Continuum Board, where we're really working with our youth to try to find or with our stakeholders to find, you know, ways to help our youth in our community and keep them out of the juvenile justice system.

I also sit on the Criminal Justice Judicial Council committee, and in that role, I'm also a victim advocate for the victim advocacy chair for the county.

And so I really think that people need to know that I am current in this role.

I'm active.

I'm very much, you know, I'm very passionate about being a leader in our community and helping, you know, take the lead.

All right.

Thank you.

Democratic candidate for Dona Ana County sheriff Vanessa Ordoñez Yes.

Thank you so much for being with us.

Thank you.

And Republican candidate for Dona Ana County Sheriff, Todd Garrison.

Thank you for being with us as well.

We really appreciate the time and thank you for watching.

Election 2026 coverage on KRWG Public Media.

You can find our forums and interviews with candidates in contested races around the region at KRWG.org Early voting in New Mexico has begun and Election day is November 3rd.

And.