The Associated Press
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) -- A $300,000 federal grant has allowed the Eddy County Sheriff’s Department to hire more officers, leaving two towns short-staffed.
Two certified officers from the Artesia Police Department and two from the Loving Police Department are going to work for the county.
Eddy County is one of three counties in the state that received a grant from the federal Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Polices Services, or COPS, program.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Ernest Mendoza said a fifth officer also has been hired, bringing the department’s number of field deputies to 24.
Touching on the fact that Loving has lost half of its four officers to the sheriff’s department, Mendoza said he and Sheriff Kent Waller want to dispel rumors that the sheriff’s department seeks to take over the law enforcement duties in Loving.
“We have promised to help Loving until they get their staffing back up,” Mendoza said.